


you could have been everything: the forgotten

by waldorbes



Series: you could have been everything [1]
Category: Gossip Girl, Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Reality, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Doppelganger, Drama, F/M, Horror, Mistaken Identity, Psychological Drama, Psychological Horror, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-11-20
Updated: 2012-11-19
Packaged: 2017-11-19 02:40:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 63,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/568148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/waldorbes/pseuds/waldorbes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>blair waldorf had everything she could ever want: the perfect boyfriend, the perfect best friend, the perfect life. that is until the salvatore brothers come to town. now she's in a whirlwind of supernatural and doppleganger insanity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. senior beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> just so you are aware now, i do my best to do a smooth transition between pov's. if i fail to do so, leave me a comment of some sort. i'll be sure to try and explain it.

**PART ONE: BROKEN VOICES ARE YOUR DOWNFALL**

Those who knew Blair Waldorf believed that they knew many things about her. She was, after all, the well known Queen of Constance Billard School for Girls. How could one go on living in the prestigious Upper East Side without knowing about the young girl or her family?

The school which she ruled over was nestled nicely between a pair of very tall and daunting brown buildings on Fifth Avenue and sat right behind St. Jude's School for Boys. Both schools were exclusive private institutions for those that were blessed enough to live on the proper end of the borough of Manhattan, and those rare scholarship cases that everyone knows are only around so that to the public that look into the school and it's whereabouts, can believe that it cares about being an equal opportunity place of learning, or that there really is such a thing as bright minds without great money.

Yes, many things were known about Blair Waldorf and many falsities were spread about her, but there was one thing that no one, not even the infamous and self-proclaimed queen of the Upper East Side knew: she was about to be thrown into a world that no one, could ever anticipate.

If you really knew Blair, that was saying quite a bit.

The brunette prided herself on the idea that she always knew what was going on in her life and what she should expect to happen in the near future. She had a life plan and even with the tiny little bumps in her road, everything was going relatively according to plan.

Her grades made her the perfect candidate for any Ivy League school. That is, if her money didn't already give her a leg up with the admissions offices. She had just gotten back together with Nate Archibald after a good year break (they had been going through some technical difficulties and that's all she will say about it when asked) and finally, she and her best friend, Serena van der Woodsen were on good terms once again. Her minions, Caroline Forbes, Bonnie Bennett, and Jenny Humphrey had all decided to fall in line, however reluctantly some of them fell.

One would think that absolutely nothing could mess her life up, right?

Well, that is what anyone would think if they were in the same situation Blair was currently in. But is that not the point of our story? To show that absolutely nothing is as it really seems and no matter how perfect your life is, it can always crumble and fall apart at the seams.

Fortunately for us, no matter how weak our young heroine might come off as, she will prove just how brave she truly can be. Not that she really has a choice. No one ever really has a choice when they're fighting for their lives.

Our story starts on the first day of senior year. After all, isn't the beginning where all proper stories start?

Blair was perched delicately at her Victorian style vanity, examining her newly woken appearance. Long fingers raked through thick, chocolate colored tresses when a soft beeping reached her ears. The girl grabbed her phone and opened the message from Gossip Girl.

Ah, Gossip Girl. Can we take a moment just to examine, explain and appreciate the genius and cruel insanity of this site?

No one quite knows exactly when Gossip Girl sent out its first blast but everyone who is anyone knows that if they don't have a subscription to the site, they have absolutely no chance of ever being known by anyone who really matters.

The site is run by an anonymous source who claims to be one of the privileged few who is reported on. And who might they be? They are those who were lucky to have been born into the perfect gene pool of classic bone structure, personalized scents, and tailored clothing. As well as a few who seem to find themselves entangled with the former. She (or he; some have a theory that it's actually just some flamboyant wannabe, but that's another story for another time) takes what he sees around her as well as tips that are sent in by others in the same world and delivers the gossip direct.

So what exactly was the topic of that particular blast so early in the morning? Well, let's take a look, shall we?

_Hey gossip fans. Gossip Girl here, your one and only source for everything on Manhattan's elite._

_Ah, another school year is upon us. Whether it's your last time walking through those hallowed halls or your first, it's a day that none of us are sure to forget. While most of you are bathing in porcelain tubs and sipping Brazilian coffee from china tea cups, it seems that there are a few who are already on their way to the start of their year._

_A very early tip I received this morning revealed, with photographic evidence of course, that there will be a new addition to the graduating class over at St. Jude's._

_Keep in mind, that while the picture provided is not the best picture, I am sure we will see much much more of him. Or at least, I hope I personally do._

_That's all for now gossipers. Keep those tips coming. You know that I'm nothing without you._

_You know you love me._

_xoxo, Gossip Girl_

Blair hit the "next" button and tilted her head to the side at the sight of a broad, muscular back with a black leather jacket painted onto it. She could only imagine how the tailored St. Jude's shirt looked against the delicious back muscles she was sure laid dormant beneath the clothing. Sure, all of her thoughts were a bit of a stretch to the imagination, but even she had to admit that it was quite an attractive sight for so early in the morning.

Who said that a taken girl couldn't sneak a peak? It wasn't as if Nate was a complete saint, so what was the shame or harm in her just looking at a picture of some guy she didn't even know. And as she continued said observation, she noticed that the picture proved to show a very physically appealing guy. Beyond the very pleasing back end of course.

" _He has a hot back."_ She could already hear Bonnie Bennett say that in the recesses of her mind.

Blair had to admit, out of all of her minions/friends, Bonnie was certainly the funniest and probably the brightest out of all of them. Serena was naive and Caroline… Well, she fed into the blonde stereotype more than Blair was normally comfortable with. Oh, and Jenny? Blair didn't really care too much to pay attention to the brains of a stupid little sophomore. Especially one from Brooklyn and especially one with the last name of Humphrey.

What anyone saw in anyone with that pathetic surname was completely beyond the Waldorf's comprehension.

Blair placed her glossy cell phone back on the smooth surface. She brushed all thoughts of anything or anyone in Brooklyn to the back of her head and started to move about her room, getting ready for the day. Her mind drifted now and again back to the broad shouldered mystery man.

Halfway through her routine, her phone went off again. Mentally deeming it another blast without actually investigating, Blair continued to get dressed for the day. It wasn't until her phone made another dinging noise did she realize someone was actually attempting to get in contact with her.

She sighed and figured it was probably Nate wishing her a good morning and a good walk to school. Blair smiled at this thought. Ever since the pair got back together Nate had been much more attentive and caring. Unfortunately, as her mind continued to process this nice thought, she realized that Nate really wasn't the sort of guy to send a 'good morning' text. He was normally too busy running around his room (or Chuck's Empire hotel room - wherever he passed out the night before) to have time to text anyone or even look at his phone for that matter. So when her phone went off for a third and forth time, she knew she had to check it.

As soon as she did however, she wished she hadn't.

_I miss you. xoxo - T._

_Awe, come on. Don't be like that. - T._

_Oh, B. Please don't do this. You know you deserve better than that loser. Why not come back to the winning side and actually admit you're on it this time? - T._

_Blair, please answer me. I really do miss you. You know I'm not like Nate or Chuck. I'm actually being legitimate about missing you. -T._

The brunette groaned, her dark eyes scanning the four small text bubbles on her BlackBerry Tour another four times each. Once she had done that and gotten up a crapload of courage, she shot out a brief shot of air through her mouth and sent a quick text back.

_Drop it, T. - B._

The T that she was typing to stood for Tyler Lockwood. While Chuck was the Upper East Side's resident sleaze, Tyler was the resident bad boy. He drank, smoke (two things Blair hadn't been opposed to since she was twelve), talked back to teachers, parents, or any form of authority. He stole whatever he could get away with stealing, had sex in public places and never made any sort of apologies for it. And as for his temper? Well, let's say that pissing off Tyler Lockwood was as easy as finding a hot dog stand in the middle of Time Square.

Unless you were Blair Waldorf of course.

Tyler was a rebelling princess' wet dream. And on more than one occasion, Blair's as well. Not that she would ever admit that. She had a reputation to uphold and her reputation dictated that you never admit to any sort of sexual discrepancies.

Basically, she was to be a lady in streets but a freak in the sheets. And that was just putting it simply.

Their whole affair started as one dirty night in the darkest parts of Tuscany. Both swore early on in the evening that they would never speak of the night again once it was over. Blair was upset over of the betrayal Chuck had pushed upon her.

And what was Tyler's reasoning to entering into such a sorted affair, you may ask? Well, sadly, Tyler was merely taking advantage of the drunk version of the girl he had been pining over for the last sixteen years.

Oh yes, you heard me correctly. Tyler Lockwood had been secretly smitten with one Blair Waldorf since the age of two. He sat idly by as Nate and then Chuck took the beautiful brunette that he adored and ripped her apart piece by piece. If he had his way, both the Archibald and the Bass would be in the ground due to brain stem injuries inflicted from blunt force trauma.

What? He liked to watch Law and Order, so his daydreams were a little more detailed than the average person.

Anyway, it was a night full of passion, heat, sweat, and a whole lot of drunken sex. Mentally, although they were unaware of this, both Tyler and Blair were very happy she had packed attire appropriate for a couple who were going away on a romantic occasion. It was all put to use in a very delicious manner.

It was a night that Tyler felt was a true blessing. He never wanted it to end. He was doubly sure of that the next day when Blair was no longer under the arm that he had splayed across her tiny form at some point in the night and a note remained in her place.

_We can't ever speak of this again. Or let it repeat. I am so sorry for letting this happen. - B._

He was sure he had never felt true heartbreak until that very moment, and for the following hour, he spent the time hidden away from the world in the darkest room he could find in the spacious villa, and sulked beneath several thick blankets. Not a speck of light could reach the broken young man beneath the layers.

Apparently, Tyler had forgotten who he was in love with.

Sure, they had _said_ earlier that they would never speak of it again but when Blair had opened her eyes that morning and saw the way Tyler had wrapped his arms protectively around her at some point during the night, she knew that something had to be done. Blair was a woman (okay, so she had barely even reached eighteen yet but who was going to question her on it?) who knew that if you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself. To this day, that was the only explanation she ever would have for leaving that note and leaving the only man who had ever treated her correctly alone in bed that fateful morning.

Once he was done feeling sorry for himself, the Lockwood boy tossed the covers aside, and did everything he could to make Blair his. It took a lot of fighting and arguing between the two parties but for two blissful months, he could finally, and proudly, say that Blair Waldorf was his and no one else's.

He, unfortunately, couldn't scream it from the rooftops like he would have liked. Heck, he wasn't even allowed to shove the news in Nate and Chuck's faces just as he had always dreamed he would.

Blair forbade him from telling anyone anything about their relationship. She claimed that it was because she didn't want to seem like a whore who just jumped from between all of the guys she knew (a.k.a. Serena) without ever really caring about any of them. So, because he cared about her as much as he did, he gave into her wishes, no matter how insane and neurotic they seemed to be. Why? Because he figured that if it meant that in September things would be different, and he could walk her to her classes at Constance with his arm around her thin shoulders, then all of the bullshit she was putting him through would all be more than worth it.

Obviously, that relationship didn't last very long at all.

As Blair continued to stare at her continually blinking phone, she started to truly believe that the idea that her entire relationship with Tyler had been a weird and twisted mistake itself.

While they were together he completely adored her and she was happy. Sort of. There was a good part of Blair that still felt broken because of what she had been put through in her prior relationships.

Tyler's still lingering and seemingly ever-present feelings made the two sides of her very diverse personality flare up in very specific ways. For one, her arrogant side understood his desire to have her at his side. She _was_ Blair Waldorf after all. Who wouldn't want her on their arm? It was really an accomplishment and honor as far as she was concerned. However, the other, more sensitive, and self-conscious side didn't understand what he saw in her. Nate had seemingly only gone for her because she was all that was left and she wasn't enough to keep the great Chuck Bass entertained to the point that he would want to remain hers, so what kept Tyler Lockwood of all people coming back?

Blair sighed and tossed her phone onto her plush comforter, seemingly throwing her problems away with it. She had something to get really for her first day of classes as a member of the senior class of Constance and the undisputed queen of the all girls school.

Time seemed to fly by as she slipped into the pleated blue skirt that was now easily hitched up to her mid-thigh, her tailored white-collar shirt, and thin knee-high white socks. When Blair first received her uniform her skirt fell so that it ended right below the hem of her socks. Now? Now, her socks couldn't kiss her skirt if it applied all of the lip plumper on the market.

Constance Billard for Girls was an exclusive private school that taught those who fell into the grades of kindergarten and twelfth and could also afford the outlandish tuition. Well, if they couldn't do such a thing they sure had a damn good scholarship connection. Or they were like Vicki Donovan and the Headmistress at the time was your aunt and felt bad for you for having a deadbeat mom and having to live on the Lower West Side.

When a Constance girl reached the ninth grade they were asked to disregard the red skirt they received at the beginning of sixth grade and given a brand new blue skirt and white collared shirt to show their current status within the school and kept that same skirt all four years. The only reason a Constance girl would get a new skirt is if their weight ballooned out of their control and let's face it, on the Upper East Side, you have plenty of ways to keep the extra weight off.

It wasn't until Blair was picking up all of her belongings for the day that her phone finally buzzed with a text message from her doting boyfriend. Sometimes, she wondered why she dealt with Nate and his antics. Truthfully, she really couldn't bring herself to completely part from him. He had hurt her so deeply within the last two years and yet, she had very willingly gone back to his open and waiting arms.

Was it all a part of her insecurities that she would never find someone to love her completely and eternally just as her romantic mind wished could be?

Probably. But she would've never openly admitted that to anyone who ever dared to ask. Not even Tyler, who happened to be her best friend and one of the few people she genuinely trusted.

Blair's portly live-in maid, Dorota, waddled towards her as she bounded down the long, twinning marble staircase into the main foyer of her two-story Manhattan apartment. Dorota's pudgy face seemed to curl around her dark eyes, and, as she noticed while continually glancing towards her, seemed to be very intent on getting her mistress to do something she didn't have time for. Or perhaps something much worse - eat something.

"Miss Blair," she started in her thick Slavic accent. Blair never did know exactly where it was Dorota originally hailed from. As much as she loved the woman who basically raised her, she never did care to ask for her country of origin.

"Miss Blair, you must eat something. Your mother—"

"My mother is in Rome researching ancient Roman artifacts to get inspiration for her new line," Blair interrupted. The very corner of her eye twitched at the mention of her mother not being home and a present parent. Again. It had been about two years since Harold Waldorf had left Eleanor for a thirty-one year old male supermodel and since then, her mother had decided to make less of an effort to get to know her growing daughter than ever. Needless to say, Blair was a little bitter for the decision.

"Which is why she ask me to make sure you eat good breakfast. She does not want you to be burn out when you are learning." The maid nodded, as if that would further prove her point and get the young girl to sit down and eat something before her last first day of high school.

Sadly, Dorota should have known better.

The girl rolled her eyes and took a hold of the small, round, blue, Prada purse. She had just gotten it the day before and she was itching to show it off to the girls that she knew would appreciate it far more than she would just as she would appreciate their admiration far more than she should.

"No offense Dorota, but if my mom really cared about my eating habits, she would have paid more attention about four years ago and said something when I would stuff my face like the rapture was happening tomorrow." Blair hummed and gave her maid (and friend) the sort of smile that said: You know I'm right and you also know you can't force me to eat a damn thing so don't even try.

"Please Miss Blair. For me?" Her face fell slightly, her guard lowering, effectively making the European woman look very sad and almost puppy like. It was sad and annoying how much the maid knew how to work her over in certain rare cases.

Again, Blair's dark eyes rolled around in her skull and she went over to the table, grabbed a handful of grapes, shook her hand in the air, as if showing off that she was eating, and popped them all in her mouth at once. Her mouth went from full to empty so fast, Dorota wondered if Blair had even chewed or tasted the grapes as they went down her throat. The brunette passed by the woman again, kissed her affectionately on the cheek and gave her a grin that was only a little bit condescending.

"There. I had something."

"Barely anything," mumbled Dorota.

"And now I'm late to meet Nate, so thank you!" she said above the woman's mumbles, trying to make it seem as if the maid hadn't said anything at all before she was rushing out of the foyer, into the elevator and down into the lobby of her building, finding a very bored and a seemingly very clueless Nate.

Blair did have to admit, although only to herself, that Nate really was a doofus. She was obviously the smarter of the two and he was almost like a trophy boyfriend to her. After all, he really was just oh so pretty. As an outsider, it hurts a little to watch him go so under-appreciated… Even if he does do the same thing to Blair.

Oh well, back to the story.

Blair bounced up to her sandy-haired boyfriend and pecked him on the cheek, effectively shaking him from whatever it was that was going on in his mind. He turned towards the surprise and gave her a wide grin before bending his solid six foot frame down to give her a soft kiss on the lips. If Blair ever wore flats, a majority of the men (as well as Serena, that tall blonde bitch) that she interacted with on a daily basis were well over half a foot taller than her. It was extremely difficult to find Blair without a proper pair of heels covering her feet and today was no exception.

"Hey, you were late. Is everything okay?" Nate asked.

 _Maybe he has changed into a good doting boyfriend,_ Blair thought, the corners of her full, light pink-tinted lips pulling up slightly in the corners. It was nice for her to think that things were changing for the better.

"I was getting worried."

Yes, when she had decided to go back to Nate, it definitely wasn't a mistake, she decided. Or at least, that was what a good portion of her logical brain was telling her.

"No need to worry. Dorota was just trying to stuff my face full of empty calories," she said, waving his concerns off. Nate's face contorted around itself as if to display that his girlfriends words didn't convince him that something wasn't wrong. Blair simply curved her small hand around his face, attempting to seem comforting towards the man who she had been dating for the better part of her life.

"I promise you, Nate. There is nothing to worry about," she cooed. Was it possible that her boyfriend was actually paranoid that she had reverted back to her old ways of keeping her waistline in check? Had Golden Boy (as Gossip Girl liked to call him) really grown a brain and actually opened his eyes? Blair couldn't believe that such a thing was actually true.

Why did she refuse to believe that? It meant that Nate actually did care about her. Was that not what she wanted to begin with? Have someone truly and deeply care about her? Was that not what every girl, or boy, wanted in a partner, male or female? Blair couldn't say anything for sure. It was a hard road to teeter on, and lately, teetering was all Blair seemed to be doing with the Archibald

Nate placed a strong hand over the hand that was placed against his cheek and allowed the very tips of his lips to curl upwards just a bit.

"As long as you're sure."

"I am. Now how about we go before we're late for the first day," chanted the senior girl, taking a hold of his hand and tugging him behind her for a moment until Nate finally took ahold of the situation and brought himself beside her. The pair strode on, her arm wrapped around his, in silence, towards their schools. It was a quiet morning, something very odd for the couple. Normally, the morning would consist of Blair talking and talking about things Nate could care less about while he made a few nods or hums of agreement when needed. This morning however? Complete silence. Nate probably should have been more worried, but there was absolutely nothing coming out from his mouth.

So maybe he wasn't as perfect as Blair had always dreamed and hoped him to be.

There was one other thing that was particularly out of the ordinary and it seemed as if Blair was the only one to notice. As they walked down the twelve blocks from her building to school, every other corner there was a dark crow, perched on the cross sign.

Now, you can call her self-centered or cautious or heck, call her just plain weird, but Blair could have sworn that the damn crow was staring directly at her every single time they passed it.

Blair lived in New York her entire life, so she wasn't ignorant to various aviary species that resides on the island, but this crow was something different. It's feathers had a sheen that made them seem darker than the average crow. The small black eyes were almost an onyx color and gave off a distinctive humane feel every time Blair would glimpse at the bird and lock gazes with it.

After the third encounter, she had unconsciously tightened her grip around Nate's arm and when she did so, it seemed to anger the crow. It's eyes seemed to narrow in the most devastatingly dangerous manner, obviously continuing to cause a great unsettling feeling for the brunette.

Needless to say, she had never been so excited to see Constance and walk up the stairs in her life.

_Squawk! Squawk!_

Blair was halfway up the large set of stone stairs that led to one of the few common areas between the pair of sister schools, leaving Nate in the dust yelling after his girlfriend, when the noise hit her ears. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the same crow perched on the Constance archway. Her eyes bugged out of her head like a frightened cartoon character and she swore her stomach fell into her butt and caught in her throat all at the same time.

She wasn't sure what it was that made her so sure that it was the same crow that had been stalking her that whole morning and she certainly wasn't sure what was making her so sure that it _was_ stalking her, but she couldn't stop the fear from creeping up into her throat and nearly strangling her with the sensation.

Quickly, she padded up the rest of the stairs. They felt like they were extending and more stairs were adding themselves on top of one another as she continued to climb them. This effectively caused her breath to catch in her chest and twist around inside.

She found herself smacking directly into something very thick and solid when she finally reached the top. The sudden stop caused her equilibrium to fall off kilter and thrust her backwards, her heel teetering on the edge on the edge.

Blair would have been sent flying down the set of stone steps, not only embarrassing her but also probably crippling or even killing her. And falling down a set of stairs at the age of seventeen was certainly not the way Blair wanted to go. If Scarlet O'Hara could survive a fall down the steps, Blair Waldorf certainly was not going to go out that way.

Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about that.

A strong arm darted out and wrapped itself around her petite waist, essentially whisking her away from the edge of danger. The rush of being whisked away from the tumbled made her gasp. She was sure that it had been Nate, firmly proving herself to be her true Prince Charming. However, when she finally was back on her feet, she was face to face with someone else completely.

Blair would never admit it to anyone who would ask but she was actually speechless as she tok in her savior's appearance. The guy in front of her was absolutely gorgeous. He was broad, like she imagined an attractive football player would be. Probably one that would play fullback… Whatever that meant. His hair was long, but styled in a way that it never touched his shoulders or even the nape of his neck and was a dark sandy color. His skin had only the faintest hint of a tan and his eyes were dark and hooded but not in a doofish sort of way. There was something in the way he looked at her, she was sure there was a brain inside that wonderfully sculpted skull. However, there was something else in the way he looked at her, she just couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was or what it meant.

Poor Blair. It wasn't her fault that she looked exactly like the last girl that held the guy's heart. Then again, how could she? It wasn't like she was around almost a hundred and fifty years ago.

But more on that later. We just got to some of the sexy stuff now.

The pair were silent, and if you asked Blair, it felt like hours in his arms. Several blissful hours actually.

"Are you okay?" asked the perfectly sculpted lips in a genuinely concerned voice. "You seemed really kind of freaked out."

Blair swallowed the lump in the back of her throat and she bit her bottom lip briefly. Actually speaking to the man in front of her was definitely something difficult.

The "hero" began to back away to give Blair some room to stand properly and she pointed behind her, turning as she began to stammer, "I-I-I just saw this stupid—" Her eyebrows creased into a wiggled line of complete confusion. The intimidating crow was gone and she was left looking like a complete idiot.

Poor B. She can't even bump into a hot guy and cover her own ass gracefully anymore.

Blair turned back to the handsome stranger and shook her head in disbelief. "I guess I was just seeing things." Her eyes slowly moved upwards to find the gorgeous eyes narrowed in the direction Blair had looked and if she wasn't mistaken, it seemed that he knew something she didn't, as if he would have believed her if she had finished her damn sentence. If she was being paranoid then he was seeing something she was unable to and something he wouldn't tell her even if she asked in the kindest way she could possibly muster. The mystery man shook his head and offered a kind smile, looking down into her eyes, before extending his hand towards her. His mouth was opening as if he were about to speak, maybe to introduce himself, but it seemed that in that moment, Nate finally decided to be a doting boyfriend and appeared at her sid.

"Blair, are you okay?" he asked, seemingly completely out of breath, his hand falling comfortably onto her lower back. His face was downturned and contorted in worry, a pink flush across his cheeks. Nate turned to her savior, who she still hadn't gotten the name of, and patted him on the shoulder thankfully. "Hey, thanks for catching her man. She's normally a lot better on her feet, I don't know what happened."

"I can speak for myself, Nate," she insisted. Her hero, she noticed from the corner of her eye, seemed uncomfortable and laughed.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm Stefan by the way. I'm new here." A smile pulled itself kindly across his face as he extended his hand towards Blair again.

 _So_ he's _the new guy. Well that picture of his back definitely didn't do him justice. The front side is much better than the back._

"Blair Waldorf. And this is Nate Archibald," she offered, barely gesturing towards the man beside her as she gracefully shook his hand.

Did anyone else notice how she didn't say "boyfriend," hmm? Because I sure did.

"Her boyfriend," Nate quickly added, putting extra influence on the second word. Stefan's dark eyes flickered over to Nate before putting his attention back on Blair, giving her a soft smile.

"It's good to meet both of you." Stefan nodded towards them both, his hands clasped behind him. "Hopefully we'll meet again soon." Stefan walked away from the pair, a light smile playing on their lips. Blair watched Stefan leave before turning back to Nate with a very sour expression on her face. Nate's body tensed, knowing that his girlfriends body language wasn't a good sign for him.

"I don't know how you could have been more rude. After all, if it weren't for him my brains would be splattered all over Lexington!" she snapped.

"I wasn't rude!" he countered. "You were the one who seemed to conveniently forget to mention that you had a boyfriend!"

It was rare to see royalty fighting like commoners and a good majority of Constance and St Jude's understood that. They turned and waited in their respective places to witness the once in a lifetime event. Blair let out a sarcastic laugh and rolled her large brown eyes around in her skull.

"Oh right, because I was the one who slept with Serena van der Woodsen at a wedding when I was dating someone who had given me their entire heart on a silver platter! Oh and why? Because you were supposedly in love with her." She paused in her ranting, her squished face unfolding and relaxing. That face, Nate knew, was one to deliver a worse fate than its former.

"You know what Nathaniel?" she cooed, moving closer to her boyfriend and began to jab her long, perfectly manicured finger against his strong chest, punctuating each word with a jab. Her voice dripped with a slippery sort of coolness as she spoke.

"If you were so in love with Serena, you shouldn't have been dating me. It just made you look selfish and a downright horrible human being." Blair made a soft squeaking noise as if to enunciate her point before turning on her hard heel and walked away from him and into the waiting frenzy that was her small group of minions.

Caroline was going on and on about how what Blair had just done was so out of character and so outrageous and so awesome all rolled into one. Bonnie had a small smug look playing on her dark features. Blair had a feeling that the girl was giving her a small bit of approval for the outburst.

As for Serena? She was standing a good fifteen feet away from the trio, looking at her phone and kicking at the ground with the toe of her new Tony Burch flat in embarrassment.

Blair felt rather smug that she could bring the tall blonde down a notch and make her realize that not everything revolved around her as she seemed to be quite accustomed to believing.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar buzz in her hand. Blair had forgotten that she had taken her phone out of her purse about six blocks ago. She looked down, quickly scowling at the message.

_Yeah, if it were me, you would not have to deal with that shit. -T._

The brunette snapped her head up and looked around quickly, easily finding a smirking Tyler in the corner of the courtyard. Blair huffed and narrowed her eyes at him, snapping away a moment later deeming him unworthy of her attention. Quickly, she threw her phone into her purse and turned her attention back to the babbling Caroline.

She had had enough of Tyler's smugness, at least for that moment. And she was going to make sure that Tyler knew it.


	2. broken morals

It took exactly six minutes and forty-three seconds for news of Nate and Blair's fight to be heard by all of the students who attended both Constance and St. Jude's. It took another two minutes and fifteen seconds to reach the rest of the city who actually gave a damn about such an event visa vie Gossip Girl.

If you were to check the traffic that Gossip Girl had done that day, you might be shocked at how much people actually did care that such a thing happened. It was only a little shocking truthfully. After all, it was Blair Waldorf and Nate Archibald publicly arguing. That was the equivalent of seeing two shooting stars in a matter of a week - completely impossible and down right improbable.

As far as Tyler Lockwood was concerned, the heavens had opened up and it was just a matter of time before Blair would be his again and the world would be right once more. The smirk he wore on his lips was far from smug. It stopped being smug about twenty seconds after Blair started yelling at Nate on the front steps of the girls school. Now, Tyler simply looked like he had the winning lottery numbers for the next five years. Not that he really needed them, of course. His mother and father, Carol and Richard Lockwood, both have more than enough money to keep Tyler, whomever he chooses to marry, and up to three kids comfortable for a very long time without their son ever lifting a finger. That was probably what contributed to the only Lockwood son's attitude. Similar to his best friend, Chuck Bass, Tyler felt as if he were entitled to everything he was given and very often took advantage of everything around him as often as he could.

"You look as if you have news," drawled the previously mentioned best friend. Tyler wasn't sure when Chuck had appeared at his side. He'd been too lost in daydreaming about his future with Blair to notice the smirk on Chuck's lips and how he was looking out of the tall archway that lead to the large courtyard that connected the two prestigious schools. His large, territorial eyes were hooded and watching the girl who seemed to be the talk of the city. Tyler was happy that for once it wasn't Serena who was on the tips of everyones tongues because he knew that Blair was happy about that.

He hadn't answered or even acknowledged Chuck's presence, prompting the fellow bad boy to speak again.

"She really is quite unpredictable sometimes. I'm truly shocked about that fight though. I never expected her to show off her fire in such a public manner." Chuck drawled on and on and Tyler had slowly started to tune him out once more. Chuck never realized that Tyler knew Blair in a way he never could. Tyler knew the real Blair. The Blair that didn't need a scheme to breathe, that was incredibly intelligent and could recite the most beautiful passages from books that were written originally in foreign languages, and he took a great deal of pride in that. Unfortunately, he would never be able to say it out loud. Not yet of course.

Oh yes, Tyler was definitely hooked on the Waldorf girl. Too bad for him, but she was much more than anyone could ever anticipate.

She was someone that even she didn't fully know herself. But at that moment, in that very specific moment between Chuck and Tyler, the girl who held both of their affections was just one thing and one thing only: Chuck's. It didn't matter that she was currently dating Nate - as far as they knew of course. But it wasn't like Tyler kept shoving his hand in his pocket every five seconds in the hopes that he would feel it buzz and have it be a blast stating his dream come true. Blair had been Chuck's girl from the moment he'd taken her virginity in the back of a limo, and no matter how much the infamous Bass had been seemingly immune to knowing the obvious about his best friends feelings, and how little he seemed to care about the "bro code", Tyler had always stuck by it.

That is until now.

Because of that night they had spent together and the following two months, Tyler knew that he could no longer stand idly by and let Blair ruin her happiness with those who were far from worthy of her presence. He would do his waiting, just as he always had, and when she was hurt and broken (just as he knew she would end up) he would take her by each individual piece and put her back together himself. Yes, that was his plan, and to him, it was perfect.

"I guess she's full of more surprises than we thought." He had spoken simply and barely even offered a glance at Chuck before closing his locker and heading towards Blair and her friends.

Tyler had moved so quickly in fact that he had hardly heard his friends suspicious quip. "I wonder what other surprises are lurking…"

Blair was sitting at one of the rot-iron tables in the center of the lush courtyard with Caroline and Bonnie on their natural sides - Caroline always on her left and Bonnie always on her right. As he walked closer to the trio he noticed Bonnie almost studying her "leader" of sorts. Her dark head tilted slightly off to the side and if Tyler hadn't thought he was just being completely crazy, he would've thought that Bonnie believed that Blair was finally coming into some sort of destiny she was meant to fulfill. When he was a mere two feet away from his prize he saw something else in Bonnie's dark coffee-colored eyes, something he had never seen before. Truthfully, it frightened him a little. He saw the genuine fear and worry in her eyes. What was more shocking was that it was all for a girl that he had originally thought, Bonnie didn't think too highly of.

It was no secret in the Upper East Side that Bonnie thought everything about the entire place was elitist and pretentious - although if you brought up the fact that the contents of her closet could cloth a small country she would send you a glare that almost literally made you feel like your skin was on fire. That abnormality to her personality aside, it was often a great shock to others to learn that Bonnie and Blair were friends because of their different outlooks on those who weren't born with a substantial trust fund the second they came out of their mothers womb. It was thought that the Queen of Manhattan would never associate with someone who thought such horrible things about her (and everyone she was friends with) and yet, every single day, they could be found together at least once. Bonnie always explained her loyalty to the brunette as just that: loyalty. They were all born into a world where real allegiance was hard to come by but Bonnie believed that once you were connected to someone, you were always there for them, no matter what.

The real reason as to why the Bennett girl stayed beside the Waldorf despite all of the scheming and ludicrousness? Sorry, we haven't gotten there yet guys. We will soon though. Hang in there, you're doing great.

Tyler easily slipped in between Blair and Caroline, facing the brunette with a bright grin on his face and his upper body leaning idly against the table they were all sitting at.

"Hello Blair. Is this lunch work or pleasure?" he asked, a teasing tone clear in his voice. Blair opened her mouth to respond, but Tyler was too quick for her. "Actually, no matter which, I really don't care. I'm going to stay right here anyway and bother the shit out of you." He grinned at his words. Blair pursed her full lips. All Tyler wanted to do was kiss them.

Blair rolled her eyes at Tyler's antics and as she was opening her mouth, again, to respond, Bonnie suddenly stood, throwing her Yves Saint Laurent bag and her Prada tote over her shoulder and sent a small wave to her former company.

"See ya." Bonnie chripped. Tyler nodded his head in thanks. He always thought that maybe, just maybe, Bonnie knew of his feelings and for some reason wanted to help him out, but then he would really think about it and would come to the conclusion that he was being crazy and paranoid. Only Blair knew that he had feelings for her, and she didn't even know just how deep they ran, so unless Bonnie was a mind reader, there was no way she could know.

Well, she may not be a mind reader, but … Oh wait! I can't tell you guys that yet! Sorry!

Caroline's mouth fell open in shock at her various friends' actions and she quickly took a hold of her own tote and practically ran after Bonnie.

"Hey, Bon!" she yelled, flailing her arm about. Tyler had always found Caroline attractive until she opened her mouth. It always sounded like a high-pitched whining to him. "Bonnie! Wait for me!"

See what he has to deal with for time with Blair? Speaking of which…

Finally. He and Blair were alone. Tyler smirked again as he watched Blair huff in defeat.

"Did you really miss me that much?" he commented, his dark eyebrows narrowing only slightly in a rather cheeky fashion.

"Tyler, whatever you're about to say, don't." She turned to face him, her own eyes narrowing, however her expression was much more menacing.

"Hey, it's not my fault that your boyfriend is a dick. Me, however?"

"You are just as much of a dick," she retorted.

"I am not."

"Yes you are. You're trying to constantly torture me about a mistake we both made this past summer. Last I checked, that was a dick move." Tyler's eyes narrowed even more than they already had, if that were possible, at Blair's words. He couldn't believe that Blair actually thought something that horrible about him. He had always been there for her through thick and thin without any questions asked. It was something he knew no one, not even Serena, had done for her, and now she was accusing him of being just like everyone else?

Something inside Tyler snapped. His temper had slowly become more erratic as of late and no one quite knew why. Then again, no one had questioned it for fear that he would hurt them. Or they just didn't care what was going on with him.

Without any warning or word, a snarl ripped through the Lockwood man's throat before the iron table was ripped from it's place and set across the courtyard. He bent down and growled into Blair's ear.

"Screw you, Waldorf. You are far from being worth all the bull shit you put me through." Blair felt small and scared and her round face showed the emotions clearly. A beat passed. Tyler was gone and Blair was left sitting at a round iron bench with no table in front of her. The whispers weren't dying down so she stood and made her way towards her scattered books and purse. As she walked, she felt her foot step on something uneven almost causing her to lose her footing. She stepped back and looked to try and find what could have caused it. Bending low, she noticed a bolt jutting out of the ground with an iron square around it, with a jagged side. With a quick glance around she noticed two other similar iron squares each with only one jagged edge.

Was she going insane or had the table actually been bolted to the concrete? No. That couldn't have been true. Tyler was strong - you have to have some sort of muscle to be on both the lacrosse team and football team - but there was no way he was strong enough to rip a tile from the ground.

The brunette let out a deep, silent, sigh and walked over to where her books had landed and just before she started to bend down, there was already a head at her feet. When it snapped up to face her, she couldn't help the smile that pulled onto her face.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Hey." Stefan matched her smile and stood with her books and purse in his hands. He passed the objects along and silently moved the table back in place before returning to stand in front of Blair, his hands deep in his pockets.

"Is your ex giving you problems?" he asked, raising a curious brow to which Blair shook her head.

"He's not my ex. He never will be."

Man, if Tyler had heard that, you can be sure another table would be flying.

Stefan's expression seemed to perk up at her comment.

"Oh. Well then why was he so mad?" he asked, narrowing his eyes in an interest that Blair had completely missed at first. Stefan, she noticed, seemed to make a lot of things go without her notice. For instance, she hadn't even noticed that the pair had started walking out of the shared courtyard and into the Constance hallways.

Once she did notice it, however, her eyes narrowed in confusion. A few questions suddenly popped into her mind as she watched his very attractive face. Why did he seem to care for her and when the hell did they start walking together? And why did she not give a crap about the answers to either of the prior questions and only wanted to know if he was staying true to a girlfriend back wherever he came from?

He must have noticed her expression and read the confusion behind it because he stopped in place and shook his head, a nervous laugh bubbling up in his chest.

"I'm sorry, you don't have to answer that. It's none of my business." Blair shook her head in response.

"No, no, no. Don't be."

Oh yeah, good job, Blair. Go on. We would all like to hear you explain Tyler's explosion.

"Let's change the subject then," he offered, his back going upright in that moment.

"You could tell me where you're from and what made you to move here," Blair offered. Yes, she was fishing for information, and no, she didn't care how shameless she seemed.

If there was one lesson she could take from Serena, it was to be bold with a hot guy. You never know where it could get you. And she certainly hoped it got her and Stefan spending some time together that night in a very dark corner.

Those are some very dirty thoughts Miss Waldorf. I'm quite proud. I think I may even need a tissue for my tears or joy.

Stefan chucked in response to her question and Blair merely smiled sweetly, tilting her head to the side as she waited for an answer.

"I just moved here from upstate actually." Blair nodded as he spoke. Stefan's hand came up to scratch the back of his head. He obviously wasn't looking forward to divulging the next piece of information which only made Blair want to know it more. Her urge for knowledge about other people sometimes suffocated her relationships, but she couldn't stand to not know things. It was a compulsion of sorts.

"My, um, my parents were killed this past summer so I came down here to live with my uncle. My parents always wanted the best when it came to my education so as a sign of respect, he enrolled me here." Blair continued to nod, her bottom lip pulled between her teeth.

"I'm… I'm so sorry to hear that." Blair didn't work well with sympathy. Especially when it was directed towards someone she hardly knew. There was just something about Stefan that she didn't feel overly weird for acting the way she did. In fact, it almost felt okay. It was an odd feeling, but she did quite enjoy it.

"H— How did they die?" she chanced. "If you want to tell me, of course," she quickly added. It was far from her place to ask such a question but as long as he was sharing and didn't ask her to share as well who was she to not ask?

"An animal attack." Stefan was simple in his explanation. It was curt and left no room for further inquisition. Blair nodded in response, only then realizing that they were at the front of the girl's school, at the very top of the staircase that she had met Stefan on. The air that hung between them had grown tense and each party knew that something had to be said or the small flicker of chemistry that they were sure the other felt just as strongly as they did would be snuffed out.

"Is it weird to be here without your parents?" Blair asked. She was rather proud of herself for sounding so concerned. She was sure that she was making quite the impression on Stefan. After all, how many girls were so concerned about someone they didn't know?

Okay, so she had to work on it. Boo hoo for Blair.

"Yes and no," he started slowly. "I used to live in the city. When I was younger, you know?" Stefan's words were short and clean. While Blair was being rather abrasive and pushy, but that was who she was.

A chocolate colored eyebrow perked upwards on her cream colored forehead. "Oh? Then maybe our parents were friends." Instantly, Blair started to run through all of the various families that her parents were friends with as well as families that actually meant something and tried to think of one that just lost two prominent members of the family to an animal attack. None revealed themselves to her memory. Obviously, with her mind running blank, she didn't have much else to add into the conversation until he spoke. Blair hated when she didn't have something to contribute. It made her brain twitch.

"I doubt it. We lived in the Bronx. My parents were sort of into that whole idea of having a humble upbringing. I think that's why we moved away when I was so young. They didn't want me to grow up to be pretentious and think that my shit didn't stink… For lack of a better phrase." They both shared a laugh and Blair noticed how light and easy it was to laugh with him. It felt natural and almost as if she were destined to laugh along with him.

Okay, so her princess fantasies were starting to get the better of her just a little bit. Who could blame her? If I was in an improperly matched relationship and was talking to a ridiculously hot guy who had saved my life, I'd feel like I was destined to laugh with him too.

"And now? I'm assuming your uncle lives closer to the Upper East Side?" she asked, raising a brow at him. Stefan gulped back a lump in his throat, something that didn't escape Blair's notice.

"Yeah, we live just around the corner actually," he offered. "It's a walk up, but it's only the second floor. We have the whole floor so it's pretty spacious, I guess." Stefan shrugged at the idea of describing his New York home in such a humble way. If anyone actually saw it, they would never believe anything that ever came out of his mouth again as anything but a complete and total understatement.

The brunette opened her mouth to speak but her phone vibrating in her small bag stopped that. She sighed and flipped it open, rolling her eyes as the message came across.

_Hey, gossip fans. How about a midday update, hmm?_

_It seems Tyler Lockwood and Blair Waldorf got into the quietest argument to ever happen possible between two people. It was concluded by the prior flipping one of the iron tables in their schools courtyard across the entire space._

_And here I always thought they were bolted in place in case of hurricanes?_

_Go figure._

_I want to know what they were fighting about. Work on it for me, my gossip bees._

_Our little Queen wasn't done yet it seems. After her argument it seemed her knight in shining leather from earlier came to her rescue once more. Following this portion of the blast is a video of the pair walking off seeming quite interested in one another. And only one another._

Blair cringed as she watched a video of her and Stefan walking out of the courtyard seeming quite entranced with one another. Her eyes darted in just a bit to watch the video closer. Her eyes seemed to glow in Stefan's presence. She hadn't noticed anyone with their phones out when they were talking. Then again, she hadn't noticed much else besides his lips moving at the time so who was she to judge?

The rest of the blast appeared on her screen five seconds after the video ended.

_Kudos to Queen B for grabbing Mr. Tall, Dark and Mysterious Guy's attention when it seemed that no one else could. Not even the infamous Serena van der Woodsen, who sources confirm did everything she could to grab it. I wonder how N feels about this. All of this. Someone be sure to ask him for me._

_That's all for now._

_You know you love me._

_xoxo, Gossip Girl_

As her dark hues finished scanning the blast, her phone buzzed a second time. This time, it was a text from Nate, which, at that precise moment, was equally as unsettling as a letter from Public Health telling her she had contracted God only knew what from either Chuck or Tyler.

_Alright, Blair. What's going on? Are we broken up or not? I love you. I don't want this to be the end for us. Can we just sit down and talk? Tonight at my place? Eight? My parents brought home that wine you like from Prague. Please let me know ASAP. -N._

Blair sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. All she needed was just a moment to think about everything. One long deep breath and she would be okay. Everything would be sorted and she'd be able to think clearly and talk rationally to the one person she actually wanted to speak to at that moment: Stefan.

She hadn't really given much thought to the status of her and Nate's relationship. What had happened earlier that morning really was not that big of a deal. Heck, she had forgiven him for bigger things and yet, he was so quick to get so mad when she had been pretty innocent in their relationship over all. No. She had not been pretty innocent, she was innocent. She had never cheated on him in any fashion and yet he so willingly went and slept with Serena.

Yet, she did take him back for a reason, did she not?

"Is everything okay?" Stefan asked kindly, breaking her momentary peace. Blair glanced up at his soft eyes and gave him a nice smile in return.

Blair elongated her back and pushed back her shoulders before she started speaking again. "Not exactly," she started. Something in the back of her mind told her to open up her chest cavity and show off the goods. Caroline had absolutely corrupted her.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"Gossip Girl got a video of Tyler overturning the table and then you and I walking off together. Now Nate wants to know what's going on between the two of us and I have absolutely no answers for him."

It took Stefan a long moment to speak again. To Blair, he seemed to be in very deep thought as he took in everything about Blair's appearance. From her chestnut curls that hung gracefully around her face and ended just above the curve of her breast to the light pink shade her cheeks had grown accustomed to in his presence, to her petite stature that he just wanted to wrap into his arms and keep forever. Or at least, that was what Blair's interpretation was of his gaze.

Shockingly, Blair was actually right with her thoughts.

Yup, Stefan was smitten but you might be surprised to find out that it wasn't just because of Blair's natural charm. Or maybe you are. Who knows how quick you are?

There was only one other thing playing in his mind. What the hell is Gossip Girl?

Oh, don't worry, dearest Stefan. You will soon learn to both love and hate the wonderful website.

"Look, it's the end of the day and I know this is probably a little forward but," his eyebrows narrowed with worry and his face dropped as he spoke. Stefan seemed to need to find some sort of courage to raise his head to face her. The corners of his lips curled upwards as he spoke next. "Maybe we could get out of here? You could show me your favorite place to get ice cream and we could get some? My treat?" The way his face contorted into a strange sense of hope and tranquility that made her smile.

She was very close to saying yes. So very close.

"I'm so sorry. I really wish I could, but I have this party to plan and it's happening this weekend." Blair's face fell farther and farther as she explained her plans.

"Later tonight then?" he attempted next.

Blair thought about the idea of spending time outside of school and away from the prying eyes of Gossip Girl with Stefan. Something about him made her unable to resist.

"How does nine sound?" she offered to him, her body visibly relaxing. Blair was going to take a chance and do what she wanted to do instead of what she was expected to do, or even what she had planned to do to reach her other life goals.

Stefan grinned at her response. "It sounds perfect."

A large grin slowly pulled across Blair's naturally full lips, matching his own grin easily, as she waved goodbye to Stefan and padded down the large staircase. She left Stefan standing at the top of the steps to watch her go off with his hands deep in his pockets. He couldn't help but stare as she walked away from him. He wasn't doing it in a creepy sort of way. He was watching her and seeing a second chance at love. That probably sounded crazy to anyone who wasn't Stefan but he had a very deep secret that he could not share with anyone in New York City.

He could only hope that someday soon he would be able to share it with Blair and she would understand.

You see, Stefan had a very dark and dangerous secret.

No, he isn't some sort of creepy mobster, or a hit man, or worse, from New Jersey. No. Stefan was something that nightmares were made of.

He was a vampire and had been for a very long time. Don't feel bad for him. He was not alone on the vampire island. He had his older brother, Damon, by his side for the bloody life sentence.

How did he come upon this horrid fate as Stefan Salvatore: The Vampire, you might ask? You see, back in mid-1863, he was a young, strapping seventeen year old Yankee who lived with his father, a well known business man, Giuseppe Salvatore. Damon had signed up to fight for the Union and freedom for all.

The Battle of Gettysburg had just been fought and Damon had been lucky enough to not have to participate in it. Oddly enough, Damon hadn't felt the same way. He seemed disappointed that he couldn't tell his father what a brave man he was for fighting in a battle that he was sure would tie down the victory for the North. Damon always seemed to be trying to please their father and it always seemed to be an impossible feat.

A knock soon came to their door and on the other side of it stood one Miss Natalie Davies.

Thoughts of the past kept Stefan preoccupied through his short walk to his new home. Back in the late 1800's he and his family lived in what is now the Lower West Side in a large two-story mansion. Now he was living in a large two-story apartment on the Upper East Side.

Real big change right?

Stefan walked up the one flight of stairs and through the door to find a very angry "uncle Zach" on the other side, waving a paper around like it was the new dance craze.

"Is something wrong, Zach?" he asked his red-faced nephew.

"You said it would be different Uncle Stefan." He slammed the paper into his chest, as if that would emphasize the point and stick in Stefan's head better. The vampire pulled the paper away from his chest and read the headline: **FIFTH ANIMAL ATTACK IN TWO WEEKS. CITY IS IN A PANIC OVER UNNAMED MONSTER.**

"You swore to me that this all was all done with," he pushed. The human's face grew to a brighter and brighter red as the time passed.

"Zach, you can't think this is me. I wouldn't do this. I did change! You know I did!" he urged.

"Well then who was it Stefan?"

Stefan stood in the foyer. A beat passed. Panic immediately engulfed him. In the blink of an eye he darted like a speeding bullet through the apartment and into his room. The large glass doors that lead to his private terrace laid ajar with the same crow that had been terrorizing Blair earlier that day sitting quietly on the railing.

Suddenly, it flew inside, narrowly missing Stefan's forehead, distracting him for a brief moment. He turned back to the open glass doors and breathed out a quiet sigh of exasperation. Stefan made sure to never take his dark eyes off of the tall, blue-eyed, dark-haired, demon now in his company.

"Damon."

"Hello, Brother."


	3. demonic entanglements

Everything had to be perfect that night for Nate and Blair. Nate had been painfully aware of that fact and based on the history between he and his girlfriend, he knew it had to make the night into a grand gesture or she'd either laugh in his face, dump him on the spot, or just not say anything and leave him in the dark about their fate.

Of course, if something to the last did happen, he wasn't stupid enough to think that he actually still had a chance with Blair. If she left him, they really were done. Once and for all.

The brunette boy glanced at his platinum Rolex that sat comfortably around his wrist and took a deep breath. He let out nervously. He had exactly twelve minutes before Blair would knock on his front door and he would have to begin wooing her back to where he knew (or believed he knew) she belonged: in his arms.

Nate couldn't deny that he had done some pretty unforgivable things in the past, but Blair was still by his side and he was happy that she was there. That had to mean something, right? Long fingers reached into the thick black safe his father kept in his study and extracted a small black velvet box.

No, Nathaniel Archibald was not about to take himself off the market forever. He knew full well that doing something like that was far too grand of a gesture and would surely get Blair to give him a big fat 'no'. One that was bigger then when he used to try to get under her skirt when they were first dating, which was really quite a shock when thought about properly. Inside the small box was a ring that he had once given to Blair. She had thrown it at him at one point in time and since then he had had it cleaned and placed it back in it's box and gave it back to his father.

Nate had resigned himself to the fact that Blair simply wasn't meant to wear his family's ring and he was pretty okay with that. His father, on the other hand, was another story.

His father, The Captain, in his infinite drug-induced wisdom, taught his son the combination to the safe he kept it in. He was sure Blair and Nate would patch things up and get back together soon enough. To the older man, they were meant to be, and nothing could possibly break them apart for too long. To the youngest Archibald, that didn't seem to be the case. Nate was sure that he was in love with Serena van der Woodsen and she with him.

Man, was he off.

But that was then and this was now, and now, he was meant to be with Blair. He was sure of it now. As Nate's almond colored eyes stared at the small ruby ring, a faint buzz hit his ears. Snapping the box closed, he fumbled with his pocket to pull his phone from its confines. The very corners of his thin lips upturned at the sight of the text message waiting for him to open.

It was from one Miss Caroline Forbes, the only girl he has ever felt able to be completely open with. Caroline had known absolutely everything about Nate from the day he was born and he about her. Her mother, Liz, often joked as they were growing up that Nate should have thrown dirt at Caroline instead of making friends with her, maybe then they would be together instead of him and Blair.

Talk about an awkward conversation.

None of that mattered now. He and Caroline were the best friends they could possibly be and that was all that mattered.

_It'll all work out, N. Just remember to let her know you love her and everything will be back to normal. I'm so sure of it! Give me all the details tomorrow, bestie! -Care._

His small smile pulled into a full grin as he read and reread the text message. Caroline was the only person he could count on no matter what. He was sure she sensed his worry and hesitation about the night and sent him something to help soothe him.

The pair were so in tune with one another's emotions that there were many nights he lay awake at night trying to figure out whether or not they had been separated at birth.

Laying awake at night thinking of your best friend instead of your girlfriend? Well, you should know by now that's far from a good sign, N.

The doorbell rang out through his large Upper East Side manor, causing him to suddenly turn in his spot, simultaneously standing. Pocketing the phone and rearranging the ring box in his pocket before quickly padding down the staircase, jumping the last few stairs. He stopped at the small table in the foyer and checked his appearance, his long digits fidgeting with the thin tie he'd chosen to wear for that afternoon. He flashed himself a large smile. It was one that could be seen as happy and inviting from a mile away. It was a sort of Archibald trademark and an Upper East Side necessity. Smile until it hurts and no one will question you.

Finally, after one more deep, self-assuring breath, he pulled the door open and greeted Blair with the same smile he had practiced over so many years.

"Hey, Blair," he said softly, backing out of the way for her to enter. "Let me take your coat, babe," he offered immediately the moment she crossed over the threshold. Blair had yet to say a single thing, which he wasn't sure whether that terrified him or made him feel extremely comfortable. It was odd for her to say absolutely nothing at all. Blair always had a comment or a quip to make. He decided that he was uneasy about the whole situation but could you blame him? After all, how could Nate really know that Blair was actually mentally preparing herself to break up with he that evening?

What? You thought she was actually going to do something that either he or Chuck would do and try to get it from two different places? No, no, no. Blair wasn't like that.

Blair wasn't sure what it was about Stefan, but she felt extremely comfortable around him. There was just something about him that made her feel at ease and not want to leave his presence. After all, she had been thinking about him all day since they had parted from school earlier that day.

Blair's dark eyes glanced at the large grandfather clock that sat as the focal point of the Archibald front room and calculated that she had exactly forty-six minutes to waste listening to Nate say all he could before she would break up with him and leave to go to her next engagement. It was a bit selfish to plan for her next date while already on one, but Blair was tired of playing nice and proper. It was time for her to do something that she actually wanted to do, not what was expected of her.

In the last five hours, Blair had attempted to learn everything she could about the mysterious new student to no avail. It was as if he had popped into the world out of thin air. Not even Caroline, in all of her devious and nosy ways, could find anything that Blair hadn't already known. It was infuriating and she was quite looking forward to going to see him.

So much so that she had started to bounce on the balls of her blood red Manolo's without even noticing.

"Erm, Blair?" Nate questioned. He pointed towards her bouncing feet, catching her completely off guard. She turned and raised her dark brows at him in question.

"Is something wrong? You're kinda bouncing like you're ready to bounce out of here," he observed, which immediately stopped her bouncing.

"Sorry, Nate," she covered, flipping her chestnut curls off to one side and giving him a small smile. It seemed to pacify him.

"Oh, um, okay. Well. I really wanted to start tonight out on the balcony. I have dinner set up out there. And the table is set up just at the right angle so we can see the stars. With your favorite meal as well." His face lit up. It was almost as if he was a kid again and a small part of Blair's heart ached for what she was about to do to him. Her heart ached even more for them to return to that point in time. Things were simpler back then. Much simpler.

Then she remembered what he had done to her and, most importantly, that she was Blair Waldorf. And she was back on track with her emotions.

"We live in the city, Nate," she started, in a condescending voice. "We never see stars." Nate's tongue darted out and licked his thin lips as his body visibly fell at the blow.

Blair noticed that he looked a lot like a wounded puppy, and it was starting to beat against her hardened heart. She figured she really ought to not let him hang on the edge any longer. It was far from fair and if she could get out of there faster than she had planned than maybe she could surprise Stefan in a compromising position that forced him to leave her to her own devices for a few minutes. That way she would be able to find something in his house that gave her more of a clue as to who he was.

"Oh. Right."

"Look, Nate," she started, sighing deeply.

"I really didn't come here to listen to you explain yourself or try to patch things up. We've tried for so long and it's getting pretty pathetic that we still have to try so hard to stay together."

That's it, Blair. Really cut him down and break him into a pile of mush. Good job.

"Are— Are you breaking up with me, Blair?" he asked, obviously very confused by what she was saying. Nate obviously thought that he had everything figured out and her announcement threw him off of the pedestal he'd been resting on. Blair huffed and pulled her shoulders back completely, her chest arching out, and straightened her back. She was making sure that Nate understood her completely, or at least was paying complete attention to her. What better way than to stick her chest out.

Oh, Nate was definitely paying attention to Blair. Granted, his hazel-tinted green hues had been quite focused on Blair's chest for a couple of seconds, which was a little too long in Blair's mind. Another small, annoyed, huff passed by her lips and Nate snapped his attention back to her face. A very lovely face if he might add.

"Yes, Nate. I am breaking up with you." Her voice was dripped with a stoic reasoning that had the smallest pinch of sympathy.

"Is this because of what happened this morning?" he asked, taking a step towards her, extending his arms to hold her. She made sure to put enough distance between them so he didn't touch her. She wasn't worried that his arms around her torso would sway her. No, she was actually afraid of hurting him, because at the end of the day, he was still Nate, and she did still care. She just… Was unable to stay with him anymore.

"No. It's not that… I haven't been able to really trust you since the whole Serena dibocale, and after what happened this morning…" she trailed off, biting on her bottom lip.

Okay, so maybe doing this was going to be harder than she had planned on.

"I can't go on any longer not being able to properly trust my boyfriend."

"Not being able to trust me? Blair… I'm really trying here."

"No you're not, Nate! If you were truly trying you would text me every morning saying good morning or you would bring me a coffee or just do something completely spontaneous to make me feel good and sexy and happy! You never even did that sort of thing when we were dating and you had yet to cheat on me with Serena! I loved you so deeply and you could care less!" Her chest heaved almost violently from her short monologue.

For a long time, Blair liked to pretend that she lived in a movie in which she both starred and wrote the script. Her movie was constantly being rewritten time and time again and within the last two years, most of the revisions could ultimately be traced back to Nate's original misactions.

Nate stood in the foyer, his mouth hanging completely agape from the shock of Blair's outburst. They stood in silence for a long moment, standing an arms length apart, watching one another.

Finally, Blair found the courage to do something.

"I am very sorry that it had to end this way, Nate. I have to go." With those final words, she turned and walked out of the Archibald residence, heading up the street towards where Stefan said he lived. Darkness was starting to quickly overtake the city, but it didn't phase Blair. She knew that with the most recent reports of animals coming out of no where and attacking random people that she really shouldn't have been walking around at night so openly, but she reasoned that she wasn't going to be going into anywhere wooded to get to Stefan's so what did it matter? Now she just had to hope that he would not mind terribly that she was quite early.

Oh boy was she in for a surprise. How about we take a break from Miss Waldorf and go a little back in time and see what the brothers are up to, shall we?

Where did we leave off with them again? Oh right. Damon just showed up mysteriously like some Casanova in the middle of the night. All right. And here we go with them.

The tension between the estranged brothers hung thick. The corner of Damon's lip was curled up in it's normal sinister smirk.

"What are you doing here, Damon?" Stefan asked, his entire body tensing at the sudden and unexpected presence of his older brother. It never meant anything good when Damon decided to show his face. Stefan had been convinced a long time ago that Damon had no humanity left in him, so the fact that he stood a mere ten feet away from him was certainly something frightful.

Damon was a little taller than Stefan was, had raven hair that was cut in a suave, yet shaggy, manner that he often wore pushed out of his piercing blue eyes that could melt any woman's heart. Besides his eyes, he was famous for one other feature. His smirk was something he constantly wore, something that he would not dare leave home (wherever that might be) without. The small crease in his skin near his lips said that he had been wearing the expression for decades, maybe even centuries. With his natural, confident swagger, Damon strode inside his younger brother's room, closing the gap between the pair with only a couple of feet to spare.

"It was your first day of school, Stef. I definitely couldn't miss that. What sort of older brother would I be if I did?" he asked, sarcastically. His bright eyes started to roam around his brothers quarters. He knew full well that Stefan never let his dark eyes leave him. Stefan didn't trust the older Salvatore, and truthfully, it was for good reason.

"Plus, I specifically remember Father telling us that a man was not a man if he didn't keep his promises." Damon turned on his freshly shined dress shoes to face Stefan again. "That's one life lesson I actually listen to, thank you very much."

"I wish you would forget it," Stefan snarled.

"Oh please, Stefan. Stop being so melodramatic." Damon rolled his bright hues and walked over to Stefan's desk, examining the various things that laid atop it. He finally came upon a very interesting picture. It was nearly as old as he was, and when you're a hundred and sixty-nine, that's really saying something.

"That Blair is really something isn't she? Dead ringer for Natalie," he mused, holding up the picture of Stefan and Damon's past love. Damon laughed and shook his head, looking back at the old photo.

"You know, a part of me really can't believe you kept this picture. Especially now. We wouldn't want Miss Blair to find it and freak out. That would definitely put a damper on your wooing don't you think?" he asked, tossing the photo back onto the desk and turning to look properly at Stefan.

"Leave Blair alone," Stefan said in a very clear warning tone. Damon seemed to actually find his brother's attempts at being threatening amusing.

"Oh yeah, because that's totally going to stop me." Damon laughed and walked over to his brother, tapping his chest cavity where his heart used to beat with his knuckles, glancing down at it before looking up at his brother again.

"You've gotta stop letting this non-ticking ticker win, Stefan. It'll be your biggest downfall, I'm warning you now." A scoff passed over Stefan's lips and he shook his head, walking away from his brother again.

Both Stefan and Damon were actually quite shocked that Stefan had been able to stay so silent for such an extended period of time. Damon chalked it up to his brother being in awe of his presence. Stefan was trying to find the right moment to throw his brother out of the window he came in.

Oh, Damon and Stefan. You two will never change will you? Always running after the same girl and never finding any sort of peace.

Then again, they did seem to prefer it that way.

"She isn't one of your little playthings, Damon. She is a human being with feelings and a little thing you seem to have forgotten about: humanity."

"Which, coincidentally, you seem to think you still have, which I gotta say, makes me laugh every single time I think about it."

"Nice to know you still care," Stefan quipped, sarcastically.

"You're my little bro, why wouldn't I care?" Damon replied, just as sarcastic. The only difference was that Damon wore a smile while the corner of Stefan's lips seemed to be permanently turned downwards.

"I really don't think Blair will appreciate that frown, Stef. Especially after the day she has had. I mean, she almost fell down a huge stone staircase, had a giant iron table overturned in front of her face, is probably breaking up with her long-time dope of a boyfriend and then is going to come over here and go on a date with a hundred and sixty two-year-old vampire. That's a lot for a seventeen year old girl to go through."

Damon was expressing mock concern but truthfully, in the deepest recesses of his mind, a very small part of him believed that Blair just might be a second shot at something he basically never had to begin with. He had fallen so deeply in love with Natalie and his brother had taken that away from him. Now it was time for him to return the generous favor. He couldn't explain why they looked exactly alike, but he really didn't care.

It was obvious that Stefan had come back to their hometown of New York City for Blair and he was going to see to it that that didn't happen. Call it childish or sibling rivalry. Damon just called it revenge.

"You never liked New York, Damon. Just leave. It'll be a lot less painful for you. There ware plenty of places for you to get your fill of blood. All of those places are just as easy to mess with and inject fear into and possibly expose yourself in," Stefan finally said. He was speaking dangerously slow, attempting to control his breathing and his anger. He wasn't as strong as Damon was, but that was his own fault. If he actually fed on humans like other vampires did then he wouldn't have to worry about his temper as much. His own damn fault.

But, just… Oh, Stefan. You're always thinking the worst of your brother. Little do you both know, he hadn't been the one killing loads of local random people.

I'm terribly sorry but again, I need to keep you in suspense with that small piece of information.

Damon didn't pay attention to most of his brother's monologue. It didn't suit his needs at the moment so he saw no reason to really listen.

"That might be, but you know what I can't find everywhere?" he asked, slowly advancing on his brother, his bright eyes narrowing as if he were making sure his prey didn't escape his grasp.

"Her blood. Oh, no. That is rare and indigenous to this very city. Can't you just imagine how she would taste, Stefan?" he asked. Damon's words were slow and deliberate. Same as the smirk that appeared on his lips as he watched his brother's face slowly change from that of calm anger to complete rage. Veins were slowly starting to appear beneath Stefan's under eyelids and Damon knew that he was hitting a few soft spots.

"She probably tastes about as rich as all the damn champagne she drinks and Chanel No. 5 she wears. Or maybe it is No. 7?" he mused, smirking. "I'll be sure to get a good sniff when I sink my teeth into her pretty porcelain neck. Just for you, little brother."

His brother's final words through him over the edge. Stefan's eyes were now pure pools of darkness and deep crimson veins were prominent against the thin skin beneath them. His incisors grew to their full length and the noise he made was meant to frighten whoever had crossed him. Which, at that particular moment, just happened to be Damon. In a matter of moments Stefan lunged at his brother, latching his hands tight around his throat. Damon, however, was more than ready for this. In fact, it was what he wanted. He believed his brother wasn't being who he was meant to be. What better way to fix that then to push him to his limit and then beyond that?

Damon chuckled and easily threw his brother across the room and into his bed. He watched with glee as it exploded into pieces. Using his vampiric abilities, he picked up a random stake of wood that used to be Stefan's bed and jabbed it hard into his brother's already wounded form.

"Remember this feeling, Stefan. It's what happens when you feed on bunnies and refuse to be who you're meant to be. If you were feeding properly, you would've stood a chance against me." He laughed. "It almost seems like I took advantage of you. Oh well." Damon stood and brushed the dirt off of his stylish black v-neck and clicked his tongue in disgust.

"And now there's wood dust all over my new shirt. This was Armani. Not cool, dude." He shook his head in annoyance, brushing the dust from his shirt.

And then the doorbell rang.

Even though Stefan's room was on the second floor and on the complete other side of the apartment, Damon was still able to hear the bell. Having bat-like hearing was one of the few perks of being a vampire.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe your date is here. Someone has to let the girl in." Damon's lips pulled into a large, mischievous, cat-like smile.

Ever see the cartoon version of The Grinch Who Stole Christmas? You know when he is finally planning to steal Christmas from Who-Ville? That smile? Well, Damon was wearing the same damn smile. Grinch was always his favorite Seuss story.

"I think I'll go make myself useful while you clean yourself up, yeah?"

His brother was still groaning on the floor as Damon left the room, chuckling at his own genius.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wasn't completely sure he was ready to see Blair. He had spent almost a hundred and fifty years in love with Natalie, and knowing how alike the women looked made him question his earlier taunts. And yet, at the same time, he was basically skipping down the stairs.

Okay, so maybe he wasn't actually skipping, more like taking two at a time. For Damon? That's the definition of skipping. Once he was at the door, he straightened his shirt and brushed the last few specks of wood off of his pants, shaking his head to make sure nothing was still stuck, and if anything was that it would remain hidden by his raven locks. After taking one final deep breath, he pulled the door open.

Almost as soon as he did, he knew that if he were still human, he would be dead from awe.

Blair stood in front of him in a blood red dress that had a square neckline and held nicely to her curves. They were subtle curves, but that was what he liked about them. The dress ended at her knees with a flair at the bottom and the matching pumps she wore made it seem as if her legs went on for miles, even though he knew that was impossible. He had used his crows to follow her around for the last two days but even through their eyes he couldn't get the best view. The one he had now, however? It was perfection.

She looked exactly like Natalie and he had no idea how that was possible. But truthfully? He really didn't give two shits.

Of course, none of this shock and drool showed because he kept his trademark 'cool, calm and collected guy' face on the entire time.

"Ah, you must be Blair," he said, smiling at her, backing away from the door to allow her entrance. "Come in, please."

Blair rose a brow at the man who answered the door and thought that he was far too attractive to be a butler and if he was a butler, that meant that Stefan was fairly wealthy, and if he was wealthy enough to have a private butler, then why the hell didn't he live in a different part of the Upper East Side?

When she walked inside, her dark eyes took in the atmosphere around her and remained shocked that he didn't live in a better building. One with a legitimate doorman and more tenants. Then again, the idea of living somewhere where it's just you and one other person was a little appealing to her, but only for a moment.

"I suppose he told you to answer the door when I came knocking?" she asked with a raised brow and turned back around to look at the attractive butler, whom she noticed was impressively dressed. He seemed to have closed the door so quietly and quickly that she barely had time to notice he had done it.

"Not exactly," he said, the corners of his lips curling upwards slightly. "Our uncle said that Stefan was all excited about having a date with some girl named Blair, so I simply assumed," he mused, his shoulders lifting just slightly. Blair's other eyebrow met the other on her forehead and she nodded.

"Right." She spoke slowly, not exactly impressed with the bright-eyed employee. "I guess I came too early," she said, pursing her lips slightly. And then a thought crossed her mind, and the raised eyebrows lowered and curled together into a confused line.

"Wait, 'our uncle'? Are you his cousin or something?" she asked, thinking back to their previous conversation, knowing that he had specifically mentioned that he was only living with his uncle. Or at least she was pretty sure he had.

"I'm his brother actually."

So much for that butler theory.

"He didn't mention he had a brother."

"Ah, he doesn't like to brag." Damon smiled. Blair rolled her eyes at his comment. He was just another stupid guy whose head was far too up his own ass to notice anything else in the world. Sure, Blair was kind of like that herself, but she preferred the men around her didn't have the same thought process. A majority of the men anyway.

Damon sensed her resistance and he knew that if she resisted being around him, his plan would go directly down the drain. So he decided to move onto the next phase of his plan.

"I'm Damon." His hand took the tips of her fingers into itself and he bowed his body, lightly pressing his lips to her soft knuckles. His extremely bright hues never left her dark chocolate ones. Blair's face seemed to be stuck between two separate emotions: confusion and flattery. This rush of emotion was probably the reason why it was slow for her to remove her hand from his. She wasn't used to someone being such a gentleman to her so instantly. Blair swallowed back the small lump in her throat and took a tight hold of the handle of her purse.

"Do you know how long Stefan'll be?" she asked as confidently as possible after pressing her shoulders back and pushing her chest out.

If there was one piece of advice she could say she appreciated coming from her mother, it was that when you stood with a straight back, you were sure to never be lacking in confidence. At that moment, she wasn't lacking in any confidence… For the most part.

Blair couldn't believe it. She had grown up with the infamous Chuck Bass and yet, standing there in front of none other than Damon Salvatore, someone she had met merely three minutes prior was completely throwing her off her game. Or at least, she felt like she was off her game. There was a prickle running up her spine, the tiny soft hairs standing up against her Waldorf original.

Oh, don't worry your pretty little head, B. Damon doesn't know a thing. He's too busy staring at you and seeing how shockingly similar you look to his ex. I know. A sucky reason. But alas, that's how it's happening for you at this moment. Sorry, sweets.

Damon just smirked and shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"Who knows? He might be awhile. He seemed awfully excited to hang out with you. When that happens he tends to sweat a bit. Kind of disgusting actually. In fact, I have no idea why I told you all of that." Somewhere in the middle of his speech he had started to walk over to the small wet bar in the middle of the living room and poured himself a drink. His voice was light and airy. He paused and turned to face Blair, a drink in his hand, and pointed towards her.

"I guess you're just that easy to talk to," he said smirking devilishly.

Blair had crossed her arms over her chest while he had spoken, looking at him in complete disbelief and slight disgust. She couldn't believe that someone was actually talking this openly to her and this openly about his brother. So much for blood is thicker than water, or bros before hoes, or whichever cliche worked in this situation properly. She really didn't care which.

"Or it could just be that you're incredibly bored and have nothing better to do than to defame your brother in front of a girl he's attracted to," she said, plainly. Blair's lips pulled into a knowing smile while her feet remained planted in their spot. "Which, to be completely honest, is pretty pathetic and screams to me that you're in need of some serious therapy."

Damon smirked at her. She was feisty in a way Natalie wasn't (at least from what he made himself remember) and he kind of liked that.

"I can see why my brother likes you. He seems a little bit more towards the smitten side, actually," he drawled. Blair rose a brow and shifted her weight on her heels.

"Oh really? Do tell."

"You're quite feisty. He needs that in his life." Damon walked up to Blair and smiled down at her. He was a hand-length away from her and he could smell the way her blood mingled with her perfume. He was right. She did wear Chanel No. 7 and it was officially his favorite of all of the various Chanel fragrances.

Something in the back of his mind told him to toss the glass tumbler in his hand over his shoulder, wrap an arm around her petite waist and kiss her so fiercely, she would instantly fall in love with him and not care to know anyone else for the rest of her life. A life that he would make sure would never end and one that she would always spend by his side.

There was just something about her pulling him in towards her. It was more than he'd ever felt in his life, even with Natalie, the woman he was supposed to have been eternally in love with.

Of course, that was just a tiny little voice that was still so in love with Natalie that Blair's face made him feel like he was in her vampire doppleganger's presence. That voice was silenced quickly by taking another deep smell of her perfume. He thought to himself that she wasn't only wearing Chanel No. 7, but something else with it. He couldn't tell what it was exactly but he didn't care enough to try and figure it out.

The vampire smirked when he heard her breath hitch at his close proximity. He had already made some sort of impression on her and that was the first step in his devious plan.

"He's pretty boring, you know," Damon said in a low voice. "That's just my word of advice."

"Funny," she started, her voice as low as his was, something that they both found a little arousing. A fact that Blair didn't enjoy, nor would she admit.

"What makes you say that?"

"I don't remember asking for your advice on the situation," she answered, her face turning cold as stone.

They both stood in silence, each feeling the thick energy between the both of them coming off the other in waves. All Damon wanted to do was reach out and touch her perfect skin with the back of his rough knuckles. He knew it would remind him that there's still something perfect and beautiful in a world that had become completely ridden with blood lust and anger.

On the other hand, all Blair wanted was something to pull her back into reality, something she was starting to forget even existed.

"Is there a problem here?" asked a sudden and unexpected voice. Damon's head snapped up towards the source as Blair turned completely in her spot towards the voice. Her thick ringlets swirled around her as she turned, just barely missing Damon's face. As they passed, he caught another whiff of whatever it was she wore and he noticed a very unexpected scent. Although he was sure that he hadn't just smelled what he thought he did.

After all, what girl preferred to smell like peonies over roses or some other horribly cliche flower?

Stefan stood at the foot of the stairs that lead to the upper level of the apartment in what they both noticed was a fresh black shirt and dark jeans. Blair happily noticed that they were ironed in a way that made him seem taller than he was, which only made her feel smaller. And what did that mean? She would be able to wear higher heels in his presence. Always a good thing in her opinion. His dark brow was cocked upwards in confusion, silently asking them what exactly it was they were doing.

Blair's mouth had gone dry at some point and she wasn't sure what to say. Thankfully, Damon took care of that for her.

"Not a problem, dear brother," he said kindly, taking a step so he was beside Blair and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Blair and I were simply chatting. You seemed so smitten with her earlier that I figured I would make sure she was a good fit for my baby bro." Sarcasm was deeply laced within Damon's statement and Blair wasn't sure what he was being sarcastic about. If he was covering for the close proximity they had been in, then why be sarcastic? One thing she was sure of, however, was that she didn't appreciate it one bit.

The small brunette threw Damon's arm off of her shoulder with such force, Damon took a step backward. The young girl walked towards the younger vampire in the room and Damon watched her do so. His eyes darted from her to his brother and his face gave a look of pure amusement and approval.

Stefan scowled and then looked down at Blair, an apologetic look replacing the earlier one.

"I'm so sorry about him," he whispered in a hushed tone. Not that it really mattered. Damon could easily hear every word, but Stefan did have to keep up appearances.

"Let's just go," she whispered back, pulling on his arm to urge him towards the door. Stefan nodded and gave her an apologetic look as he lead her towards the door. He didn't care to pay attention to his brother nor would he for the rest of the night.

As the pair were leaving the apartment, Blair did something she wasn't sure why she did. The brunette turned her head slightly to take another look at where she had left Damon. He smirked at her and raised his glass full of a deep amber liquid as if to toast her and his brother. Blair didn't know when he had poured himself another drink considering she was so sure that when they were standing face to face his glass had almost nothing in it.

A quick wink was sent her way before she huffed very quietly and turned away from him. Stefan closed the door quickly behind them.

He shut out Damon from their date, and both parties hoped, from their minds for the rest of the evening.

They were quiet all the way to the outside of the building before Stefan took a hold of Blair's arm and stopped her from walking any further. He knew, possibly better than anyone, that Damon could be very difficult to deal with and he was sure that Blair had been stuck with him far longer than she would've enjoyed.

Okay, so he really would've preferred Blair to not be around Damon period, but if he had his way, that was completely impossible. Stefan was quite attracted to Blair merely based on the resemblance she had to his past love and he so desperately wanted to know if she was drastically different or shockingly similar when it came to who she was in terms of her personality. The idea scared him, especially with his blood lust history, but he had to know her.

"Before we continue on with the rest of the night, I just really want to apologize for whatever it was that Damon said." Blair's eyes met Stefan's and glanced down to the light grip he had on her arm and he easily took the hint, letting go of her.

"Sorry," he mumbled, stuffing his hands deeply into his pockets.

"You made it seem like you were an only child. I would think you would care to mention that you had a brother that likes to pop up every now and again and say horrible things about you." Stefan nodded, as if he completely understood and agreed with her, which truthfully, he did. If his brother was anyone but who his brother actually was than it would have been a different case. But with Damon, he was unable to be that open and telling about him.

It took a long moment before they started walking. Slowly, obviously with great difficulty, Stefan started talking and explaining the story behind the lack of mention of Damon.

"I know, I know, and I should have said something. It's just… Damon and I… We stopped getting along a very long time ago. It isn't easy to talk about him or even to admit that I'm related to him sometimes."

"What could have possibly happened that someone you share your blood with is basically your biggest enemy?" she asked, completely confused by the concept. Well, almost completely confused.

Blair had always felt as if Serena was her own flesh and blood but after the whole mess with the blonde sleeping with Nate, she wasn't sure what to believe anymore. It would, however, be interesting to see what could pull apart a set of true siblings.

Blair was a little mental in the head. Aren't we all?

Stefan sighed deeply and turned in his spot. Noticing the quiet area ahead of them, he nodded for her to follow him down the street, insinuating that he would tell her the story as they walked. Silently, Blair started her way down East 80th street towards 5th avenue. It seemed as if he was heading towards Central Park, which made her feel just a little uneasy. All of the rumors about some big bad monster roaming the city were running more rapid than the rumors about her and Nate breaking up so he could go join Serena in the middle of Cabo.

Yeah, there were some crazy people out there.

But, there was something about Stefan that just made Blair feel safe. It was as if the animal could pop out at them now and she was sure that Stefan would tear it limb from limb and throw it all the way into New Jersey. Sure, that was an exaggeration (in Blair's naive mind) but she couldn't help but let the feeling of safety overwhelm her anyway.

"It really isn't the best story," Stefan admitted. "It kind of paints us both as backstabbing pricks who never deserve to have another woman care about us ever again."

Blair snorted and looked over at him. "My ex slept with my best friend when we were dating and I still went back to him. Try me." Stefan laughed with little humor in his tone and shook his head. A hand came up and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Um, okay. Well," he paused again, laughing nervously still. He was trying to find the perfect words to describe the relationship between he and Damon and just how it turned so horrible.

Because after all, saying that the both of them fell in love with the same self-centered, self-serving, five-hundred year old vampire and then she killed them both, turning them into her vampires as well, in an attempt to keep them to herself, really wasn't the most appropriate first date conversation.

"Damon and I weren't always like this. For a long time, he was my best friend. In fact, he was the only person I could trust. And I was the only person he could trust. He was my older brother and he was my hero."

"Again, I ask, what happened? If he was your hero and your role model, then what changed?" Blair urged. She wasn't one to have any real patience for his resistance. In fact, she didn't have much patience at all that evening after her time with Damon, so Stefan was really pushing his luck with her.

Shame. He would be a very good addition to her arm.

Who knew? Maybe he still had some luck.

Finally, Stefan dove into the story.

"I started dating this girl named Natalie. She was beautiful, intelligent, fun… Everything I could have ever wanted in a girl. Unfortunately, she was also everything Damon could ever want in a girl as well."

Much to Blair's dismay, the story seemed very short.

Blair stopped them in their tracks and held her hand up to him, and soon four fingers fell. Her finger shook slightly in his face, before tapping his chest gently.

"You both fell in love with the same girl?"

Stefan nodded. "We did. And then we both dated her."

Blair stood in her place in silence, watching him for a long moment. It seemed the Salvatore brothers were rather used to letting a girl get in between their brotherhood. Her stomach fell in her body, suddenly filling with lead.

"And you both were aware of the other being with her? And you were okay with this?" An angry tone easily crept up, bile building in her throat. How could anyone willingly date his brother's girlfriend? And what woman would willingly date two brothers and then pin them against one another so cruelly?

"Well, obviously we weren't happy with sharing, but that didn't mean Natalie wasn't."

"So you just let her call the shots? You two just said nothing about it?" Blair's voice rose with each question that popped into her head and immediately fell past her lips. This whole situation was just making her want to throw something.

Stefan, however, to his credit, had stayed fairly calm throughout the entire conversation. He got them walking again and made sure to maintain eye contact with the brunette.

"I think, at the time, we each believed we could woo her to leave the other." He was making sure to be as honest as he could be in such a complicated situation. He wasn't about to try and explain something that she shouldn't have to deal with just yet. It wouldn't be fair to dump all of the information on her at once. It simply wasn't fair for him to do that. So he would be the same fair Stefan he always was. He was sure that she'd find out everything when the time came.

As Stefan had learned over the decades, the time always came.

It took a long time before Blair could find the energy to calm herself. For some reason she was angry with Stefan and Damon for allowing a girl to get in between their relationship as brothers — especially when she'd planned to do something just as despicable herself — and she was angry with the whore who had taken their hearts and used them as her own playthings.

Why she felt so angry when she had just met the brothers, she was unsure. Maybe it was because she had been cheated on herself and the whole situation just made absolutely no sense to her. Maybe it was because Stefan seemed so kind and heroic and just plain good.

In the movie that Blair believed was her life, the good guy never got screwed around with so horribly.

Be careful who you believe is the bad guy, Blair…

"What happened to her?" she asked, hissing at the pronoun that finished her sentence. Somewhere in the back of her mind, in classic Blair fashion, she was beginning to formulate a small plan that could potentially be put into use to cause the downfall of the whore who had screwed with Stefan's head and heart.

You can call her a damsel in distress looking to stay with her hero for obvious reasons, but slowly, as they kept walking and talking, she was growing attached to the young Salvatore man. He was kind and seemed to truly care about those around him. Who wouldn't want that in their life?

"She was, um," he paused. Stefan's dark brows crinkled together into a strange looking caterpillar as he looked for the right words. "She was killed in a fire."

So much for plotting huh, B?

"Oh," she replied, quietly.

Blair had hardly realized that they had somehow walked into the park and stopped in front of a random bench. The news of his ex-girlfriend's death made her feel uneasy. The lead inside of her stomach had turned a mess of toxic waste. She had never dealt with someone, aside from Chuck, who had lost someone close to them. But Chuck had lost his father, with whom he had such a complicated and strained relationship. Stefan had lost someone he probably loved very much and might have seen himself settling down with. To know that she had been thinking of how to take down that person hit her in a way that she could not properly explain, even to herself.

Be careful of that remorse, B. It's a real bitch especially when it's for someone that doesn't deserve it. And trust me, Natalie definitely doesn't.

The brunette girl seemed to have fallen deep in thought, lost in it in fact, and that was when Stefan had taken both of her hands in his. He was trying to find a way to have his eyes meet hers and hold the gaze. Once he was finally able to get a hold of it, his lips pulled into a ghost of a smile.

"Blair," he said softly, brushing a small lock of hair behind her ear. The way he said her name, she noted, made her heart skip a beat and then slam against her chest cavity to make up for the missing beat. Why she was suddenly feeling this way for him she didn't know, but she kind of liked it. As she started rewriting the movie of her life as it was happening, she thought that maybe including a whirlwind, and stable, romance wouldn't be that bad of an idea.

"I know this probably sounds like I still care about her, but I honestly don't. Natalie is a part of my past and she's going to stay there. I'm looking to my future and I would kind of like you to be a part of it in some way. I understand you're in a relationship with Nate and I respect that completely, but I want you to know one thing: I want to have you in my life somehow." Blair's breath hitched in her throat as he spoke. They remained locked in the intense gaze and she could tell that he was being truthful, just as she had hoped he would.

Stefan couldn't understand it, but there was just something about Blair that made him believe that things were right. Furthermore, there was something about the brunette that made him believe that anything that wasn't right, would rectify itself.

"Nate and I aren't together anymore," Blair croaked out. Stefan's brows jumped upwards immediately.

"Oh."

"He was being too jealous when I never made the mistakes he did in our relationship. And after what happened this morning, I knew it wasn't right for us to be together anymore. So I ended it." Blair lowered her gaze from his and bit onto her bottom lip. It almost hurt to pull her eyes away from his.

"I like you. I don't understand how I can like you when I know absolutely nothing about y—" A pair of lips stopped the thought right where it was and she could have sworn, she stopped breathing for a moment as well. It took a beat for her brain to process that Stefan had pressed his own lips to hers, and another beat for her brain to relay the information that she should respond with the same form of affection.

His hands wrapped themselves around her form, one cupping her face and the other wrapping around her waist. His hand slowly slid into her dark curls, getting lost in the soft locks. He had pulled her flush against his body as he increased the emotion in his kiss very slowly as to not frighten her away from him.

Blair, however, had a total disconnect from the rest of her body. Nothing that he was doing properly registered for a good thirty seconds. It was something she'd never experienced before. She liked that it was happening with Stefan and not someone else. It meant something. She was sure of it. Once her head finally turned itself back on and connected itself to the rest of her body, her own hands rested themselves on his chest, inching their way upwards and finally resting themselves around his neck. The kiss was fluid and, she noted happily, had just the right amount of pressure to not make it uncomfortable or overly hungry. In fact, it was kind of sweet.

A full minute passed before they broke apart and she was trying to find a way to breathe.

Yeah, that definitely wasn't happening anytime soon.

"Wow," she said, lamely. Stefan's face broke into a wide smile, laughing at her one-word evaluation of the kiss.

"Care for another?" he asked, being more daring than he could really remember being when he was on his current diet. Blair merely grinned at him and with her hand on the back of his neck, brought him back in for a kiss, this time, firmer and with more emotion behind the act.

Oh, Blair. If only you knew what you were getting yourself into… You'd probably run.

I know I would.


	4. eternal affairs

_Gossip Girl here,_

_It's been quite a while since anything interesting has happened and I've got to blame that on my fellow classmates for that. I mean two months and all I've been able to post are "SPOTTED" posts? Clearly something's wrong._

_So I want you all to really get out there and dig deep and find all of the good stuff._

_In fact, all I can really report for now is that Blair and Stefan seem to still be going strong. Serena and Stefan's brother, Damon, don't seem to like this bit of gossip. It also seems like Nate and Caroline seem to passing very fleeting looks. I think they are the cutest bit of information._

_And just to keep up with the trend, Tyler was spotted today coming out of Tiffany's with a very small bag hanging from his hand._

_Get me more dirt, loves!_

_You know you love me._

_xoxo, Gossip Girl_

The corners of Blair's mouth perked up as her dark eyes read the blast over and over again. Those damn things always seemed to really mess up her life, but for the last two months, everything had been perfect. She and Stefan were getting along splendidly and Damon had only been slightly annoying.

It was just… The way Damon looked at her always irked her. He made it seem as if he knew what she looked like naked and that was just… Well, obviously it was annoying and freaky.

None of that mattered at that moment. It was the night that her mother would be launching her new winter line and Blair was blessed with the honor of wearing a design that wouldn't be mass-produced. She hummed happily at the thought and walked over to her full-length mirror, unzipping the garment bag and pulling the dress out to look at it just one more time.

It was a cool gunmetal color that was just a little darker than one would expect and had a straight neckline that completely exposed her shoulders. The sleeves fell past her wrists and landed just past the joint where her thumb and hand connected. The bodice of the dress itself held all of her curves correctly and stopped just below her knees. It was a fairly simple dress compared to some of Eleanor's other creations but apparently that was the look she was going for this season. Blair didn't mind too much. It worked well with the necklace Stefan had just given her for their two-month anniversary just a few days earlier. Blair really didn't want to wear it but at the same time, she really couldn't say no to him. According to him it was some old family heirloom and honestly, how could anyone really say no to a gesture like that? Especially Blair, who was the self-proclaimed queen of enjoying grand gestures.

She just wished the Salvatore's had better taste in jewelry.

As she continued to stare at the dress, and think about her and Stefan, her mind started to wander to a not so innocent place. Truthfully, she did miss certain activities that seemed to be in abundance with Chuck and Tyler. That didn't mean she wasn't willing to wait. Did it?

Slowly, as her mind started to develop a very elaborate and well-lit fantasy of just how she wanted the night to go, one Salvatore transitioned into another. As her brain thought about just what Damon's strong (sometimes scruffy) jawline would feel like against her thigh, Blair jolted herself out of the fantasy, furiously shaking her head. She couldn't believe that she was actually thinking about something like that with Damon.

What was worse? She had recently been having dreams of that nature where Damon just happened to be the star. She wasn't able to stop them, no matter what she did. Even if she went to sleep making sure she thought of Stefan, seven times out of ten, she would either not dream that night, or she would end up dreaming of Damon instead.

If the dreams weren't so damn hot she would be even more freaked out than she already was.

Her plan was simple. She would just stay by Stefan the entire night and then when the time was right, they would sneak away and she would make Stefan her own. That was probably the problem with her and her lack of Stefan-staring sex dreams. The pair hadn't done the deed themselves just yet. Yes. That was the reason for her dreams and she would make sure to fix it tonight. Blair was going to look amazing and since Stefan always looked perfect, what was stopping them?

Yes, tonight would be perfect. She was sure of it.

A soft buzzing noise rang out and disturbed her happy thoughts. She zipped up the garment bag again before turning and picking her phone up off of her vanity, groaning inwardly at the sight of a text coming through from Serena.

The pair had been on the outs for about two months. They weren't in full force war mode, but they were hardly speaking.

_I'm coming to your mom's unveiling with Damon. I hope you don't mind. - S._

Her jaw locked and her teeth ground angrily as her dark eyes fell across the "devil" name, as she had coined it. Sure, they might be tolerating one another because of Stefan, but that didn't mean she wanted Damon actually in her house! How dare Serena even think that was okay! Her fingers quickly hit the send button to automatically dial Serena's number. The blonde picked up on the first ring.

"B?" she answered, appearing as innocent as ever. It was as if she didn't know why her friend was calling her after such a simple text.

"Do you ever think?" Blair snapped.

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you really believe I would want Damon fucking Salvatore in my home at any point in my life?" she asked, her anger growing by the second.

"Blair, I really don't think you have any right to tell me what to do. Especially with Damon. Did you forget that you're dating Stefan? You know, the younger Salvatore?"

"No, I haven't. Just as I'm sure you haven't."

Serena scoffed. Blair could practically hear her cross her arms defensively over her chest and her bright ocean-tinted eyes roll around in her pale head. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh don't even try and play coy with me right now, Serena. I've known you since we were two and I know all of your games. You're just bringing Damon along because you think he'll look good on your arm and spark this jealousy in Stefan that you have dreamt up in your head because you think it is absolutely impossible for anyone not to be drooling over Serena fucking-queen-of-the-free-world van der Woodsen!"

The silence that followed Blair's rant was deafening. Literally. It seemed to have struck the blonde on the other side of the device deaf, dumb, and possibly blind. Such a thing wasn't exactly the worst thing in Blair's mind.

"Please tell your mother that she'll be short two guests this evening," Serena politely said before hanging up the phone. There was a sick part of Blair's mind that had pinpointed a slight shake in the blonde's voice and took pride in putting it there.

Well, if the friendship wasn't already dead, that definitely drove the stake through its heart. The brunette shrugged and hung the phone up, tossing it onto her bed. She suddenly felt ten pounds lighter and was actually happy to be rid of the blonde for now. Being in her shadow was exhausting.

Sure, that all probably sounded horrible, but Blair wanted to be in the spotlight, and for once, not be fighting for it with Serena.

"Can I just say that seeing you mad is kinda hot?" asked a sudden intruder. Blair gasped and spun in her spot to see Tyler standing in her doorway with the same small Tiffany's bag around his wrist that the blast had mentioned. She crossed her arms over her chest and held her head high.

"If I were you, I would avoid saying it around Stefan. He is quite protective." Tyler merely rolled his eyes at her statement. He knew he could take a vampire, but keeping Blair in the dark about the supernatural world was at the top of his priority list at the moment.

"I'm shaking," he said, pushing himself off of the doorpost, bringing his hands up in front of him to make a mockery of actually being scared of Stefan and moved towards the scowling brunette. "Oh, don't give me that face, B. I come in peace."

She rolled her eyes and sat down in front of her vanity as he put his hands up in surrender and walked towards her. Blair flipped her hair over her shoulder and reached for the loose powder to start her make up application for the evening.

"I really don't have time for your nonsense tonight, Tyler. I have a party to get ready for."

"I know. I'm going to be there too, remember? My mom's a huge fan of your mom's designs. Or did you forget that little detail to the beginnings of our friendship?" he asked, walking up behind her and looking her in the eye through the mirror. She sighed heavily and fell into his gaze. She placed the golden tin of powder back on the marble vanity.

"What do you want, Ty?" she heaved. Having a friendship with him as of late was quite exhausting. He had apologized for being so outrageous the first day of school, but that didn't mean that they were able to get back to where they were. She had basically started dating Stefan that day and she knew full well that Tyler had wanted to be the next one in line for her heart. Heck, she knew that he felt entitled to it and a small part of her did as well. But she couldn't shake the feeling she had when she was around Stefan. She felt like she belonged in his life. It was uplifting in a way that she hadn't felt in a long time.

"I just want to give you something. I probably won't be home for your birthday so I thought that this was as good a time as any." Tyler chuckled nervously.

Her eyebrows knitted together in curiosity. "You never miss my birthday," she said, almost hurt at the idea of not seeing her true best friend on her birthday. "You never have."

"I have somewhere I need to be that day. It's completely unavoidable." His eyes told her that he was obviously upset by this news, but what was she going to do about it? Sure, she could ask him why and then pull every single string she could to make sure he was at least in Manhattan on that day, but to what end? So she could have Tyler there on a day she was sure to spend by Stefan's side? That really was unfair to him. Then again, Blair was quite selfish, so would it be at all shocking to anyone that she would want such a thing to happen?

It really shouldn't be.

Unfortunately, it also wasn't fair to Stefan if she did something like that and she was trying to do the right thing in their relationship. Trying to keep Tyler around for her birthday definitely didn't fall into that category. Especially since in the last two months, the two men seemed to have reached an impasse that they couldn't break through.

"Are you sure you can't move some things around so you can be here?" she asked quietly, so quietly in fact, that you would have to have supernatural abilities in order to hear her. Tyler's lips pulled into a wide grin at her almost silent request.

Oh, Tyler. Your supernatural secret is so going to get you in trouble soon.

"You want the guy who's in love with you, spending time on your birthday with you and your boyfriend?" he asked, raising a brow at her. Blair's eyes almost flew out of her head.

"You're in love with me?" she replied quietly. He rolled his eyes at her question, quickly turning her in the four-legged vanity stool. Strong hands rested themselves firmly on her shoulders, forcing her to look him in the eye even when he could tell she really wanted to avoid doing that as much as she could.

"Blair, we've been friends since we were two and I have been in love with you ever since. I know you're far from an idiot and I know you always knew that. Even if you never really let yourself realize it, it was always in the back of your mind. I'd been waiting sixteen years for what happened this past summer. I've wanted to call you mine for sixteen years. I have sat back and waited and when we spent the night together… I never wanted that night to end. When you left the next morning, you broke my heart but if you left Stefan now and said you wanted to be with me, I'd drop everything to be there for you." His hands came up to rest on the sides of her face, brushing lightly onto her cheeks. "I love you, Blair." Tyler stopped his speech and pulled a thin black velvet box from the light turquoise bag that had been around his wrist.

Blair wasn't sure that she could actually handle what was going to happen next, and truthfully, she didn't want to deal with it. Maybe in the back of her mind she did know that he loved her but she never allowed herself to truly know. It just made everything too complicated for her if she let herself believe something like that. But now, here he was, telling her very plainly that he was in love with her and had a box from Tiffany's in his hands. All Blair wanted to do at that moment was faint. Or throw up. Either would work.

"I had this custom made for you," he said. She heard a faint pop as the box opened. Blair audibly gasped when she laid her eyes on the bracelet that sat inside the box. It wasn't something absolutely outlandish and amazing, but to her, it was perfectly unexpected.

Her reaction made him smile.

A majority of the bracelet was a classic Tiffany chain link, her trained eye easily spotting the platinum material it was made of. All of the links lead to a platinum heart charm. As the brunette man took the bracelet from its box, she could finally see that the charm had something on both sides. On one side was a key slot representing that there was a key off somewhere to unlock it and on the other side was a wolf. It was engraved with the same silk lining as the key slot was and Blair found it peculiar. She had never known Tyler to have a thing for wolves but to each his own, right?

Tyler noticed Blair looking at the wolf on the back of the pendant and the corners of his lips curled upwards. He watched her for a brief moment before speaking up.

"It turns out wolves are a big thing in my family; on my father's side. It's supposed to be a part this family crest thing or whatever. Anyway, this is just sort of a symbolic thing of my own. The wolf is me and the lock on the other side is the lock to your heart. Sort of like… I'll always be there to protect it and because you always wear your heart on your sleeve and make your heart your whole self it would be like I would be protecting you." His dark eyes moved up to meet hers. She could tell that he meant every single word that he was saying, even if she fumbled over some of the words.

"No matter what happens, I'll always protect you."

The voice in the back of Blair's mind that was highly rational and always knew when something was coming completely from left field or something was just a huge batch of crap screamed at her that he was trying way too hard to become Jacob Black, turn her into Bella Swan (Blair was no Bella and she never would be), and Stefan into Edward Cullen (like she would have ever gone for Edward. Pft, she would have slapped Edward so far his head would have spun around and off his shoulders). However, the silly, mushy, romantic part of her head took over and she smiled at her friend. She leaned over and hugged him tightly, showing him that she did care about him, but sadly for him, not in the same manner he did.

Who knows? Maybe, she did have those sorts of feelings for him at one point in time, but now? Now she didn't feel that way, and she probably never would again.

Poor Ty. Always the best friend never the boyfriend.

Blair pulled back and looked up at Tyler, smiling widely and then stood up, making sure she was eye-level with him.

"You're the best friend I could ever hope to have, Tyler. And I'm so happy that you care so much about me. Sure, this all has a very Twilight feel about it, but I'm going to chalk that up to my slightly low blood sugar and completely ignore the parallel." Blair nodded and grinned at him before putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him towards the door.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a party to get ready for and you being here would disrupt that."

"Are you sure? I mean… It's not like I don't already know what's under that robe…" he trailed off. Blair pushed him outside her door and tilted her head to the side.

"That's so good to know. Too bad you won't be seeing it again. Tell your mom I said hi." She sent him a grin, a small wave, and slammed the door in his face.

Tyler just chuckled and shook his head, walking down the large staircase and out of the Waldorf household. Sure, he might have turned a little Jacob Black-like, but it was for good reason.

Three months prior, Tyler had triggered something inside of him that he didn't know existed: a werewolf curse. He was unaware that he in fact did have that curse coursing through his veins, nor did he know that it even existed.

It all started on the last day of his vacation in Tuscany. He was frustrated and angry and throwing a glass across the room. When the shards of the glass went in various directions, he never thought one would lodge itself in his butler's throat. As the elder man began to bleed out he tried everything he could to help him, but something happened to him and it hurt like hell. His genes were unknowingly rearranging in his body and making him something he never knew was possible. When Tyler got home, he spent a week with his Uncle Mason, a man who had been afflicted with the same curse. He showed his young nephew the old Lockwood property that had been built when his family first moved to Manhattan in the late 1600's. The only thing that was left was a deep cellar with platinum chains and iron doors.

Mason disappeared before Tyler's first transformation, however. Since then, he has been reading the journal the elder Lockwood left behind and learned about the curse and his species natural enemy and how to spot one. Thanks to that, and his new amazing sense of smell, Tyler was able to determine that the wonderful Salvatore brothers that everyone seemed to be so enamored with were actually blood sucking demons.

From that moment on, he knew that he had to protect Blair. Not because he loved her so deeply, even though he did, but because he knew if he didn't keep her safe, he would never be able to forgive himself.

The young werewolf was walking down the streets of New York back to his home, scrunching his nose up when his phone rang. He was pleasantly thinking about Blair and he never really enjoyed being ripped from those thoughts. Quickly, he pulled his phone from his pocket and barely even looked to see whom it was who was calling him.

"What?"

"Well, I see someone woke up on the wrong side of the dog bed this morning," quipped young Bonnie Bennett. The familiar voice made him stop in his tracks and a wide smile pull across his lips. Bonnie was the only person, aside of Mason, who knew about his little monthly issue. When it happened she seemed to have known something was wrong. It always seemed like Bonnie knew something that no one else did.

Actually… She did.

For most of her life, Bonnie's grandmother always told her she was special. She would tell the young girl that she was special in a way that no one else could ever be. By the time she was sixteen, her grandmother had taken her under her wing and started to teach her of the power she possessed.

Yes, you guessed right, kids. Bonnie Bennett was in fact, a living, breathing, non-wart-having, witch.

On top of that she had a special little talent that was quite unusual for witches. As if being a witch wasn't unusual enough, right? So what was this special little talent? Well, Bonnie was able to sense another supernatural entity whenever they were close. She never quite understood what it was but something just hit her whenever she was around one. It was a strange feeling that she could never completely describe, but she was never entirely against having it to begin with. At least anymore. It made it much easier to identify those who she had to keep an eye on to make sure they didn't do anything stupid. Tyler was at the top of her list. He was, after all, the only one she had complete access to at all times.

"You're really funny, Bennett," he replied. He stuffed the hand not holding his phone deep into his pocket and turned in his spot slightly, looking around at the area around him, almost as if he were looking for Bonnie. She knew a little too much sometimes, and it always struck him as really weird. "Too funny for your own good if you ask me. Seriously not a good quality and by my guess, not a good one to have when you are friends with a werewolf."

"Good thing I'm not afraid of the big bad wolf, Ty."

"Oh god, why do you have such a weird sense of humor?"

"Would you like me if it was any different?" she asked. Tyler laughed and rubbed the back of his neck, shaking his head as if she could actually see him doing so.

"No, no. I guess not."

"Exactly."

"So what did you call me for?" he asked, starting his trip back home again.

"I'm going to guess that your mom is going to Eleanor's unveiling tonight?"

"Yeah, which I know you know means I'll be going as well. I always get dragged to that crap."

"Oh please, like you really mind seeing Blair."

"I just saw her, she can do without me for a little while."

"Can I also assume you were giving her whatever it was you picked up at Tiffany's?" she asked, seeming way too smug for Tyler's liking. Even though she was painfully right. She always seemed to be right. It was really starting to get teeth-grindingly annoying.

"Do you ever get tired of being right?" His voice was quite obviously showing his annoyance with her and her strange questions. It was a strange phone call to begin with. Tyler really didn't like it when it seemed as if other people knew more about him, what he was doing, or who he was than he did. It was annoying and eerie.

"Not really."

"And why did you decide to make this really annoying phone call, Bon? I have a really boring party to get ready for, y'know?"

"Do you have a date?"

The brunette werewolf stopped dead in his tracks, about five blocks away from his apartment, and started laughing hotly. "Wait, wait, wait. Did Bonnie Bennett just ask me out on a date? Am I dreaming? Should I have someone pinch me? Maybe I should send in a blast to Gossip Girl!"

Yes, you should, Ty.

"Do not make me regret this, Lockwood. I need to get into that party and Blair's mom is not fond enough of my parents to invite them."

"And why do you need to get into the party so bad, Bon?" he asked, already very exhausted from the conversation but still feeling very smug about the fact that she needed him. It didn't happen often, and he quite enjoyed when it did.

"Stefan is going to be there and I need to get a feeling from him. I need to know if he's the one that has been killing innocents."

"Innocents?"

"Tyler, please!"

He sighed. "They say that it's an animal, Bon—"

"Oh, come on, Tyler. We both know you're smarter than that. I would have understood you believing that when you weren't a werewolf, but now? Think about it. Bodies drained of blood? Completely mauled but no paw prints around them or paw prints imprinted into their bodies? You're the one that's watched all those hours of Law and Order, not me. I'm surprised you didn't catch on to it sooner. Or maybe you did and you're just choosing to be oblivious?"

He paused and ground his teeth together, not happy that he was being shown up without the person even there. Heck, she was practically baiting him.

"Bonnie…" he trailed off, a warning tone in his voice.

"Look, if I'm able to be around Stefan and talk to him without Blair around I can tell if it really is him who's killing people. From there, I can figure out, or at least start to figure out, just how to get close to him and find out if there are more around here."

"And how are you going to get Blair away from Stefan? You know her. Since Nate and Serena happened she makes herself a really hot appendage to her boyfriends, especially at grand functions like this one."

"That's where you come in," she said, clearly confident that he would go along with her plan no matter what she said.

"I have to distract her?"

"You are correct! And people say you're dumb…."

"Not a way to convince me," he said, his voice showing the edge that he was clearly getting close to with each passing moment.

"Please Tyler!" she pleaded, extending the two words as if they were actually as long as ten syllables and sing-songed the words at the same time.

"Alright, alright, alright!" he sighed and rubbed his face, groaning at his friend's persistence and his willingness to give into her wishes. "Just be at my place by six. The limo is supposed to pick us up at six thirty and if my mom finds out I have a date, she'll want to take a crapload of pictures. I swear, each and every time I say I have a date, she treats it like it's the fucking prom or some shit." Tyler rolled his eyes at the same time Bonnie did on her side of the conversation. Of course neither knew that the other did such. After all, how could they?

"Your mom really is something when it comes to what she pays attention to. I'll see you at six!" And with that, the call was ended and Tyler rubbed his face in exhaustion. There was only one thing he had to worry about now - how the hell was he going to get Blair away from Stefan?

And honestly, how was he supposed to know that he wasn't going to be the only one biding for Blair's attention that evening? Heck, as Stefan stood in his room, staring at his reflection, trying to pick the right tie to wear, he even didn't know that he'd have any competition of sorts.

"You know, Stefan," Damon chimed in, walking into his brother's room, scrolling through something on his phone. His rough fingertips were rubbing his lower lip in thought. As per usual, he was going around the Salvatore home with only his pants on.

"This Gossip Girl thing is really quite useful. If you ever wanted to stalk your girlfriend or any of her little friends you just have to enter their name and bam!" he laughed and flung himself into the desk chair, propping his long legs up onto the table, crossing them at the ankles.

"Why are you in here, Damon?" he asked, drowning on. He had grown used to his brother's presence and persistence to try and get Blair's attention and affection, to no avail of course. She and Stefan had a solid relationship, or at least he believed they did.

"I heard you're going to meet the parents tonight. I figured I should be here for my little brother."

Stefan was still debating between the two ties before turning around and raising a brow at his sibling. Who still happened to be enthralled by his phone, by the way.

"Are you serious?"

"Absolutely." Damon finally gave his brother physical attention, swung his legs off of the table and stood. He strode over to Stefan and put his hands on his brother's shoulders, giving them a firm shake.

"I, personally, have never had to meet a girls parents before, but you know… That's technically by my own choice. It means that things are getting serious and complicated and just plain messy. I'm more of a dine and dash kind of guy." Damon winked at his brother and pulled the more appealing tie from his hands, an elegant dark blue number, before shoving it into his brother's chest.

"Wear that one."

Stefan took a hold of the tie and raised a thick brow at the sudden kindness of his brother. It didn't make any sense. Why would Damon try and push Stefan towards the girl that he believed himself to be slowly falling in love with.

"Why the sudden brotherly love?" he asked.

Damon was never one to beat completely around the bush. He always either told the straight out truth, or told a straight out lie. Tonight, he felt his brother at least deserved a little heads up. He pulled away from Stefan and walked back to the desk as he spoke, leaning against the table halfway through his speech.

"It has become quite obvious that Blair is going to be difficult. And her strange necessity to be good and loyal is proving very difficult and kind of annoying, honestly. Plus your little vervain necklace has made it that much more difficult to woo her in the normal fashion I would for other women." Damon shrugged and laced his hands together.

"Did you ever think she is good and loyal because that's just who she is and that she isn't Natalie?" Stefan offered, his thick fingers already working the tie into a proper knot.

"Well obviously she's not Natalie. If she were, we both would have gotten laid a while ago. Thankfully, I've been able to find other resources to satisfy my appetite." The corner of Damon's lips perked upwards in his infamous smirk. "How about you, Stef? Has Blair been oh so loving and caring? Or have you had to go out and dabble in the other tastes the city has to offer?"

"I am not cheating on Blair, Damon," he said, obviously exhausted by the conversation.

"Ah, so then the doppleganger is putting out?"

"I am not going to talk about my love life with you. I never did when we were human and I am definitely not now," he said, moving past his brother to the small wet bar that Stefan had installed when he realized that, as much as he wanted Damon to leave Manhattan and never look back, he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Stefan was convinced the only thing that could get Damon out of his and Blair's lives forever was if Natalie somehow came back to life.

Be careful what you wish for Stefan darling… You never know what could happen.

Damon's piercing blue hues watched his brother carefully, his features curling into a dastardly evil smile.

"You two haven't had sex yet," he said slowly, observing the stiff posture his brother took when he called out his abstinence. He couldn't believe the restraint the younger vampire had considering the ripping past he had.

"Dear God, Stefan. You aren't getting laid and you're terrorizing the bunny population of Central Park. If you don't snap soon, I don't know what to think about the world anymore."

"Will you not know what to think about the world anymore, or vampires?" he teased. Damon, however, was taking their conversation rather seriously.

"Both! It's not natural, dude. We're predators, we eat and hunt living things."

"That isn't me, Damon."

"It used to be. Come on, you've gotten close enough to her. You have smelled the sweet scent of her blood when you kiss her. You cannot tell me that it isn't tempting. Personally, I don't know how you've held out this long."

Stefan's teeth had gone from a relaxed manner to a tense one, his teeth grinding against one another roughly. His brain was beginning to visualize himself gripping Blair tightly to his torso, his fangs deep in her flesh as he drained the life from her body. The mere idea of it started to make dark veins appear beneath his sockets. A tell tale sign that Stefan was hungry. Damon noticed his brother's change in appearance and decided to feed off of the torment he knew his martyr brother would be feeling.

"Or did you forget when you were an infamous ripper?"

"That isn't me any longer," Stefan ground out.

"Why not? You were actually fun then!"

"I never knew you to run away from something fun."

"Maybe Natalie was right in feeding me her blood, I always knew how to have fun and believe me, her and I had a lot of fun, but I still can not understand for the non-life of me why she wanted you alive forever as well."

A dark laugh moved past Stefan's bright teeth as he shook his head.

"You really can not stand the fact that she wanted me around her. And do you know why?" he asked, walking over to his brother, grabbing the drink that Damon had poured himself at some point from his hand and took a small sip of the amber liquid. "Because you loved her, and you can't stand the fact that she loved me."

Damon's face remained calm for exactly one moment. As soon as that moment passed, his eyes darkened, veins appeared, fangs extended, and he clamped his hands tightly around his younger brother's neck, pushing him hard against the opposite wall. The pair moved in the matter of moments.

"You know, I was actually looking forward to tonight. I was going to get inside her house, dance with her a little, make her little blonde pain in the ass friend fall in love with me and actually be a nice and well behaved vampire. But now?" he paused, tossing his brother across the room. He cracked his neck back and forth before grabbing his shirt off of the chair. He wiggled into it and started to fasten the buttons.

"Now, I have to go to the party angry." He flipped the collar of his shirt up in annoyance. "And we definitely don't know what I'll do when I'm angry."

Damon growled slightly and left the room, not paying attention to anything as he grabbed his dark dinner jacket (which looked perfect with the rest of his attire), slipped it on, and left the two penthouse building. He then started walking towards the address Serena had given him earlier in the day. The vampire pulled his phone from his pocket to check the address and groaned at the sight of a text message from the attractive blonde.

_So sorry for sending this last minute, but going to Blair's is kind of cancelled. Maybe we could go for drinks instead? I have a good in at the Empire. Let me know. -S._

He growled again, extremely angry that the night had barely even begun and his plan was already getting shoved into a gigantic hole that it desperately needed help getting out of. He needed a way into that apartment and unfortunately, his surname would not be enough to get him past the front door anymore. No one cared that his family used to be one of the richest and most respected on the island of Manhattan, and goddamn it he was really starting to miss those days.

He had to come up with a plan quickly. Suddenly, it hit Damon like a runaway subway car. Blair lived on the Upper East Side. The chances that a live-in maid would answer were pretty high and he was sure that said maid inviting him in would work all the same. The only real downside was that he was now out of a free meal. He checked the time quickly before deciding that he would be fashionably late if he walked to the Waldorf household. Only problem was that he really didn't know where she lived…

Gossip Girl to the rescue!

It didn't take long for him to find the Waldorf residence thanks to the "SPOTTED" app, and the fact that he could sense so many different essences in one building, more than would be expected of course, told him that he was definitely in the right place. The closer he rode towards the proper apartment in the elevator, the more blood he was able to smell and for a very brief moment he lost the easy control he had around a large group of humans and the blood lust kicked in. The dark veins of want appeared beneath his normally bright eyes, darkening his irises severely. He rubbed his face furiously, his hands relaxing against his sides right before the doors slid open before him.

A stout and very haggard looking woman rushed to the elevator.

"Oh, you are not expected," she said in a very thick accent that he was sure meant that she was from some part of Europe that Damon had probably been to a million times but didn't care to try and pin point exactly where she was from at that moment.

"I'm Miss Van der Woodsen's date. We're meeting here," he explained with an impossibly thick wall of charm and a matching smile. The small woman ushered him inside with a mumbled invitation. A smirk pulled across his lips when he felt the invisible barrier fall away and his foot moved past the elevator frame. Damon strode into the foyer, taking a flute of champagne as the server passed by and took a deep sip.

 _This is going to be a painfully long night,_ the vampire thought as he walked farther into the large apartment. His bright blue eyes roamed the area for a familiar face, or even one that just looked somewhat interesting. That is until they landed on a very attractive older woman who looked quite familiar, but not in the same familiarity that he actually would know the person or that said person would know or remember him. In other words, he realized he never slept with her. Damon determined she was Blair's mother based on how much she looked like an older Blair and by how many people were shaking her hand and praising her for whatever it was the annoying party was for again.

New fashion line, Damon. New fashion line. Remember to keep up!

If there was one thing to know about Damon Salvatore, it was that he never thought of himself as unattractive. He always thought very highly of himself, not only with his looks but also with his intelligence, wit, and general manipulative nature. He thought of himself as the perfect specimen. However, he was somewhat caught off-guard when Eleanor Waldorf came over to him and started chatting him up. He had been planning the perfect introduction and she cut to him before he was able to get to her. Of course, that never stopped the eldest Salvatore before.

"Hello, I don't believe I remember inviting you. How exactly did you get in here?" she asked, a distinct cold streak cutting sharply through her words.

_Well, now I know where Blair gets it._

"I'm Damon Salvatore." Damon stood with a straight back. He took a hold of Eleanor's hand and placed a chaste kiss on her perfectly moisturized knuckles. It seemed to have softened the woman just a bit. Dropping the elegant hand, he brought his hands behind his back and held one by the wrist with the other.

"I'm supposed to be here with Serena van der Woodsen, but it seems I must have been stood up," he said, seeming quite disappointed and somewhat hurt by his current situation. The mention of the flighty blonde seemed to cause the woman to perk up and soften up to him just that much more.

"Serena's date and your last name…" she trailed off, as if she were trying to remember something. Her fingers were snapping wildly in the air, trying to will herself to capture something that seemed to have escaped her. A very short pudgy man appeared at Eleanor's side mid-snap and peered up at her in curiosity.

"Have you forgotten something again, darling?" he asked.

 _Darling? Who the hell does this pug think he is?_ Damon thought to himself.

Oh, Damon. That isn't a dog. That's Blair's stepfather, Cyrus Rose. Guess you missed that bulletin on Gossip Girl, huh? Well, that's what you get for not reading far back enough.

"Oh, yes, Cyrus. This young man here," she said, gesturing to Damon, "said his last name was Salvatore and I know that sounds familiar but I simply can not place it for the life of me."

"Salvatore?" Cyrus asked Damon, joyfully, to be replied with a nod and a small smile. Cyrus laughed and opened his arms wide in celebration.

"Why, Eleanor dear, that is the same last name as Blair's new boyfriend, Stefan! Would you two happen to be related?" Damon had a feeling that the tiny midget's open arms were a clear sign from whatever gods that did exist that he should lie and say that it was simply a coincidence, but that probably would have been counter-productive to his aim for the rest of the night.

"That's my little brother for you," Damon said through gritted teeth. "Always making a good impression." Cyrus laughed joyfully and slapped his knee. Damon couldn't help but think for a fleeting moment that he looked like a miniature Santa Claus without the beard.

"I knew it! They have that same easy-going nature. It must be genetic! You know, Stefan is just the kindest young man I've seen Blair with in a long time, and I have to say that I am really starting to see him as family. And since you are his actual family that includes you by extension! Do you know what that means?" Cyrus asked, taking the only breath that Damon could remember him taking.

"I can't say I do," he said cautiously. The small man's arms were extended again and Damon really did not like where he thought it was going.

"My family is a hugging family! Come on in here!"

 _Crap,_ he thought, putting on the most fake grin he could muster and a very weak hug back to the small man. It was strange to think that such a tiny man could have such a strong hug.

It seemed that Eleanor saw Damon's discomfort and tapped her husband on the shoulder.

"Err, Cyrus, I really don't think that Damon is the hugging type." Cyrus finally broke away and Damon inwardly thanked Eleanor. He thought that he'd could thoroughly thank her later by not feeding on her at some point. Cyrus, however, he was fair game. And ironically, Damon thought the man would taste a little gamey as well.

They had only been hugging for a few very long moments and he was sure he would have used the man as a dart, and the stained glass window that was at least twenty feet away from them, as a target.

"We will change that I'm sure. It really looks like Blair is falling for your brother, Damon," he prodded Damon in the stomach jokingly and it took all Damon had not to bite his neck and rip his throat out. He couldn't stand the idea of his brother winning the girl again.

But wait, he didn't really want Blair. He just wanted to see his brother squirming in annoyance and completely pissed that he lost this time around… Right?

"Actually, do either of you know where my brother might happen to be?" he asked, a playful smile on his lips.

"Oh, he's around here somewhere. Probably talking with Blair and some of her friends," Eleanor brushed his concerns off, turning her entire attention to him, placing her hand beneath her chin in thought.

"Now, Damon, I hate to be a nudge but… Have you ever thought of modeling?" she asked, raising a brow. The vampire smirked at the older woman.

_Now this is the sort of crap I enjoy talking about._

"I have been approached before, but I never really thought it was my calling."

"Oh, pish posh," she said, brushing his words away again. "I've actually been thinking about doing a men's line and you just seem to be the perfect inspira—"

"Mother!" hissed Blair's voice in outrage. Damon smirked at the small girl coming around without his brother on her hip.

"Oh, Blair! I was just talking to Stefan's brother about him being the inspiration for my new men's line!" Eleanor seemed so proud of her idea. The more proud she was, the tighter Blair's lips pursed and the wider Damon's smirk grew.

"I really don't think that's a good idea," she insisted. Damon noticed how her dark brown eyes darted wildly between her mother and him. Truthfully, he couldn't have enjoyed it more.

"Why not? Have you seen his bone structure!"

"I have been told that it is quite fabulous," Damon chimed in. Blair turned to him, glaring daggers at the aforementioned bone structure.

"Damon, can I speak to you please? In private?" she spat, grabbing his wrist and pulling him behind her, away from a majority of the party.

Cyrus and Eleanor watched the pair go off with dreamy expressions on their faces. Eleanor's elegant hand fiddled with the thin ring that hung around her neck. "I still find it interesting that Zach never mentioned his nephews were back in town," she commented. Cyrus' attention darted back and forth between his step-daughter and the elegant older brother of her boyfriend.

"You don't think the old stories are true do you? That a family, a founding family in fact, of the Foundation could have vampires in their bloodline?" he asked. Gray, trimmed, eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"I guess we'll find out soon enough."

Blair continued to pull Damon farther and farther away from the crowd, her anger visibly growing with each step. Once they were virtually alone, she turned quickly, her nostrils flaring from rage, her perfectly curled hair bouncing wildly around her oval-shaped face.

"I thought I told Serena not to come. What the hell are you doing here?"

"You did tell her. That doesn't mean I didn't decide to come anyway," he stated simply.

"So you thought it was acceptable to just crash my mother's party for her new line?" she asked, as she crossed her thin arms over her chest.

"I never said it was acceptable, just that I decided to come without a date."

"And what brought you to this decision?" her hands balled into fits and sat themselves on her hips as she waited for what she anticipated would be an answer for the ages. Damon made her fidget, something she hated.

Man, was she in for a good excuse.

"I wanted to see you, of course," he answered, his lips curling into a somewhat sincere smile. Blair appeared completely taken aback by his answer, and that was definitely the reaction he was looking for. "Why else would I be here, Miss Waldorf?"

 _You really have got to stop calling her that before you say Davies instead of Waldorf,_ his brain warned him, but he wasn't paying attention. He was having far too much fun messing with Blair.

"Look, Stefan told me about the whole stupid rivalry you and him have and honestly, I'm not here to do a repeat. I like Stefan and I'm not going to mess up a good thing. So if a part of your stupid little plan to fuck up Stefan's life is wrapped up in you being here and harassing me and my family, then you can just leave." Blair huffed, confident in her words.

"Are you sure you only 'like' him, Blair? According to your darling stepfather, you two are basically on the way to the alter," he snapped, his eyes bulging for a brief moment, almost taunting her in a strange Damon-like manner.

"Oh, so you met Cyrus?"

"Yes I did… In all his hugging glory." Damon ground his teeth against one another roughly at the memory of the very awkward hug. Blair laughed hotly at his reaction.

"He's quite the hugger, huh? Bet you have a real good time with him," she replied, her own devious smirk curling onto her deliciously plump lips.

"What's with him? Is it his goal in life to touch every single human being in the world?" he asked her, as if they had been friends for centuries. She laughed and shook her head at him.

"That's Cyrus for you. He likes to hug people. I have yet to be able to understand why but maybe one day it will make sense to me. I doubt it about the need to touch everyone on the planet, but hey! Never know." She shrugged and looked away from Damon, before snapping back to him, her lips pursed as if he had just killed her cat.

_God, she is so bipolar._

"Now why are you really here?"

"I already told you. I wanted to see you."

"Then why were you coming with Serena?"

"Are you jealous?"

"I asked you first!"

"I asked the more important question."

"How was it the more important question?"

"Again, you're avoiding the question."

"I asked a question that connects to further understanding as to why I should even bother to answer your question in the first place."

Damon just stared at her for a very long moment.

"Do you even hear yourself talking? Do you understand that you're really starting to sound like you're lacking a few brain cells?" Damon asked, his bright hues flaring with a furious fire. Blair rolled her eyes at him and moved to walk around him, attempting to leave him where he stood, but he wasn't having that. His arm snapped out, wrapping itself around her small waist and caused her to stop in her tracks. Her small, chocolate colored eyes flattened into dangerous slits at the sight of his hand tight around her torso.

"Answer my question, and then I will answer yours," he said calmly, almost attempting to make peace with his words. "Simple."

"Let go of me first."

He accepted her terms and removed his arm from around her, his skin feeling a little strange now that he wasn't touching her anymore. Oddly, he liked having her skin against his, even if it was just bits of skin brushing against itself. What was odder was that he didn't feel this way because he wanted her all to himself as a form of revenge but because he wanted it in a different manner.

"I'm not jealous, I just don't trust Serena. Now answer my question."

"I knew she would be invited and I wanted to be here."

"You still got in the door."

"Not without lying. I wanted an easy way in. I was being sort of lazy," he shrugged as if it were nothing, and it sort of was nothing. It was almost frightening how easily he was able to get himself into certain places. He watched Blair's reaction to his words, tilting his head to the side.

Blair was attempting to process everything that he was saying, but there were still just some things that weren't making sense to her. And you bet your ass Blair was going to ask.

"Why did you want to see me?" This question was asked in a softer tone than the rest of her questions and statements. She was actually quite afraid that someone at the party would be walking around them and send in a tip to Gossip Girl saying that the infamous brunette was playing the brothers against one another. Scandal was the last thing she needed in her life at the moment.

There was one thing that Blair was lying about, or maybe it was more her not saying, and it was that she felt like something or someone was watching her. And no, not just the normal, everyday watchers that she had because of Gossip Girl. She felt as if it were something darker and more dangerous and it genuinely frightened her. Being with Stefan helped her feel a little safer but sometimes it wasn't enough.

Oddly enough, she mentally noted, while in Damon's presence she felt both safer than she did with Stefan and in ten times more danger. And she kind of liked it.

Damon's bright eyes watched her face with a concentration that he hadn't used in quite a while. He sensed softness behind her chestnut hues that he had a feeling not many people were blessed with seeing. He wondered why she was allowing him such access into the inner workings of her soul. Blair was asking herself the same thing.

"Because out of all of Stefan's new friends, you seem like the most intelligent of them all. I prefer to surround myself with those sorts of individuals," he finally replied after allowing ages of time to pass between her question and his answer. To his credit, he really did have to think about the question to properly answer it and not make him sound like a total sap.

"What about your uncle?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest again. In a brief moment, he noticed that every time she did that, she pushed her breasts against her chest cavity creating a very delicious and subtle amount of voluptuous cleavage that he hadn't seen in almost two hundred years. It distracted him and sent his mind to a very devious and ancient place before forcing himself back to a place that he would be able to talk to her and not have his pants grow tight and uncomfortable.

"I guess I have to admit that I really don't get along with anyone left in my family very well."

She snorted in laughter.

"Who would've guessed?" she snapped, a small smile passing over her lips. He couldn't believe it, but he soon found a smile curling onto his lips as well.

"Hey! Be nice!"

Blair rolled her eyes and took a step back from him, in order to walk beside him. Damon spun in his spot and started to walk beside the brunette.

"I'm never nice. It goes against my DNA. Do you know where Stefan is? I texted him several times but he hasn't replied to me." She turned to him with genuine concern in her eyes and for a small moment, he actually felt guilty for doing what he had done to his brother.

Then he remembered he was Damon Salvatore.

And he stopped feeling guilty.

"I think he's just running late," he said, waving her concerns off. "This is a big night for him apparently and he wanted to make sure everything was perfect," he added. Blair nodded in understanding, biting her bottom lip in concern, not even noticing his obvious sarcasm and disinterest in the conversation. An odd feat for her. Damon's dark brow perked upwards when he noticed her actions.

"You really like him, huh?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. Blair's shoulders lifted themselves slightly and then fell back in place.

"He makes me happy in a way that no one else has."

"You didn't answer my question," he said, raising a brow at her. At that very moment Blair's face seemed to light up and he wasn't sure why. He felt an unfortunate twinge in his chest once he found out the reason.

"Sorry, Damon. I have to go. I spy another Salvatore," she said, never looking at him as she strode over to Stefan, wrapping her arms around his neck and placing a deep kiss on his lips. It was a silent proclamation to everyone in the room, including Damon, that Stefan was hers and no one else's. Damon's body stiffened considerably at her action and he went to the large ornate bar in the corner of the living room and ordered the strongest drink they could serve and then made it a double.

It was going to be a horribly long night.


	5. immortal enemies

Blair's face remained a bright beacon in the darkness of Stefan's own minds eye as she walked towards him and attached herself to his side. He had been shocked by the passionate kiss she'd given him as a hello, but didn't mind it in the slightest.

"Hey," she said softly to him. She was smiling that same smile that always seemed to grace her face in front of him. What made it that much better? The smile always seemed as if it were just for him, a fact that he hoped he was quite right about.

Congrats, Stefan. You actually haven't been snowballed by an Upper East Sider. A rare feat if I do say so myself.

"Hey," he replied, leaning in to place another kiss on her lips. This one more chaste than the one Blair had given him. "Sorry I'm late. I ran into some unanticipated road blocks," he explained.

Well, that's some way to explain getting your ass kicked by your older brother but hey, to each his own, right?

"It's fine. I was kept amused," she replied, linking her arm into his, her tiny hand snaking down to cover his larger one and leading him towards a secluded corner where just a small bench sat. It was as if the bench was placed there just for them and the idea made Stefan's dead heart smack against his chest.

He's such a romantic. What did Blair do to deserve him?

No… Really… What did she do? I can't remember anything. Can you?

"Oh really? Should I be jealous?" he joked, wrapping his large hands around her tiny ones. The pair sat down on the bench, Blair's knees touching Stefan's delicately.

"I was making fun of Damon and kept him from being the face of my mother's new mens line. Does that constitute jealousy?" she asked, rubbing her nose against his.

Stefan's brows perked up in shock when his girlfriend mentioned his brother.

"Damon? He's here?" he asked, his voice dripping with so much concern that Blair wanted to grab a napkin from the nearest waiter and wipe it away. Her face scrunched up in confusion from his worry and, what seemed to be, annoyance.

"Yeah. He was supposed to come here with Serena, but she and I got into a fight and she said she wouldn't be coming, thank God. Apparently he got the message but didn't care to listen to it, and came anyway." Blair shrugged and grabbed a champagne flute from the passing waiter, taking a deep sip of the sparkling liquid. Her nose scrunched up from the bubbles, a feeling she had once mentioned, that she had never quite gotten used to. That moment was when Stefan noticed something glittering on her wrist. It was a bracelet, one that he hadn't noticed Blair having before. His rough fingers reached out and took the pendant in his hand, turning it over to further examine it. There was a wolf on the one side and a locked heart on the other. He knew that couldn't be a coincidence.

"Where did you get this?" Stefan asked, his voice just bordering on the edge of panic. He had had his suspicions about the strangely overprotective friend of Blair's, but he had no concrete evidence.

"Er, Tyler gave it to me earlier. He made me promise not to take it off," she easily lied. So what if she could actually take it off? It was always nice to keep Stefan on his toes.

"Why is there a wolf? I would have thought there would be a drunken frat boy with his head in a toilet," Stefan joked, trying to put ease to the very uncomfortable situation. Or at least, it was uncomfortable from his side.

Blair shrugged, "I don't know. Apparently wolves are a big thing with his family."

"What is his last name again?"

"Lockwood."

Stefan felt all of his dead organs fall completely out of place. He remembered the Lockwood family from 1864 and he knew they were on the same side as his father had been when it came to vampires. Although, why there was a wolf... He was having a hard time placing. After all, he had never heard of werewolves being around, never the less did he think they were in New York. There were a few signs that Tyler had shown to Stefan over the last couple of months, but he really wasn't entirely prepared to deal with something like that. The only thing he could guess was that Tyler had somehow triggered his curse… But he couldn't have… Could he?

Blair groaned. Stefan turned to follow her line of vision. Bonnie and Tyler walked through the elevator and he felt a frantic prickle dart up his spine. He glanced back to Blair just in time to catch his girlfriend purse her rather plump lips.

"It seems everyone has bad taste in dates lately," she spat, taking another sip of her drink. That one seemed to be less of a ladylike sip and and more of a holy-crap-nothing-is-going-right-tonight-so-I'm-going-to-drink sort of sip.

"I thought Bonnie was one of your friends," Stefan remarked, turning to Blair with a raised brow. She responded with a shrug.

"It depends on the day, but normally, I'm not her biggest fan. She likes to challenge my authority." Stefan just laughed and shook his head. Blair's little game of high school hierarchy always made him laugh. If only she knew what was really important in life. Maybe then, she'd stop focusing on being the Queen Bee and pay more attention to other things. Neither had quite noticed that the undercover werewolf-witch pair were heading towards them.

"Hey guys," Bonnie piped up upon arrival, waving at both of her friends. Blair lazily waved to her pseudo-friend and took another sip, nearly draining her glass.

Definitely not ladylike sips anymore.

Bonnie seemed bright and perky, the total opposite of her date who, aside from seeming bored and tired, also appeared annoyed and ready to pounce at the mere sight of Blair and Stefan's hands lightly tangled together. Bonnie made a sly move and elbowed Tyler in the gut to remind him that he had a job to do and it was time to start.

He didn't even make a noise of pain. Poor Bonnie. That must be a downer on ones self-esteem.

"Hey Blair, it looks like you're almost dry. Do you want to go get another?" Tyler asked, jutting his thumb in the direction of where he was sure the bar would be. It was always in the same place and he never knew Eleanor Waldorf to change a good thing. His voice was a bit on edge, but he knew it was mostly because of the blood sucking company he was in. Once he and Blair were away, he was sure that he'd be calmer.

Blair looked from Stefan to Tyler, barely glancing at Bonnie and took a deep breath. "All right then," she dragged on, standing and following Tyler towards the bar, leaving Bonnie and Stefan alone. She had determined that her best friend was definitely acting weird, not any weirder than he normally did, but weird nonetheless. As soon as Blair was out of her spot and far enough away, Bonnie moved to sit across from Stefan on the opposite bench, crossing one leg over the other.

Stefan felt strange. Bonnie wasn't saying anything and she was wondering why she wasn't saying anything. _It's now or never, Bon,_ she assured herself.

"You and Blair are the talk of the city," she started and Stefan smiled at her. It was a very sincere smile, she noted.

"Can I tell you a secret?" he asked, leaning towards her. He put his elbows on his knees, his hands clasping around themselves, waiting for her answer. Bonnie nodded in response, uncrossing her own long tan limbs and leaned forward to listen to this secret.

"I think I might be in love," he whispered, lowering his head as if in embarrassment or just out of nervousness from talking about this with his girlfriends friend. Bonnie was taken back by his omission, and bit her bottom lip.

"How can you be sure?" she asked.

"I can't get myself to stop thinking about her, no matter how hard I try to and when I'm around her... Everything feels right. It feels like the world stopped and the only things that matter are her and I. It's almost like every time I'm around her, we're dropped onto this island by ourselves and no one can touch us, no matter what they do." Bonnie's body softened as he explained his feelings for her friend. She could see his sincerity in every single word he said and in the way he moved as he spoke. It was as if Stefan was falling in love all over again by simply describing his feelings for the brunette. Bonnie couldn't help but be taken by his devotion.

She moved her hand to cover Stefan's, in an attempt to convey a comforting motion but the moment their skin touched, she got the information she needed from him. Instantly, she saw a taut rope that seemed as if it would snap at any moment floating in a red sea.

He was a vampire all right, but he was going through a deep struggle, one that could throw him over the edge at any moment. As soon as the vision came to her it disappeared, and she quickly took her hand away from his, her dark eyes meeting his. She dropped her voice so low that she knew only the smallest handful of people in the room would be able to hear her if they were paying attention.

"I know it's not you causing all the tragedy, but do not hurt Blair. I will always protect her and no matter how much you love one another, she comes first. Please do not make the mistake of messing that up." Bonnie stood and pushed her silver glittering dress back in place. She looked back at the rather confused vampire. He didn't seem to understand what just happened. He'd known many powerful witches in his time, but never had he known one to act in the way Bonnie had. He was sure she had to be a witch. After the feeling he'd just gotten when they touched, she couldn't be anything else. Could she?

"I actually like you."

"Do you often not like Blair's boyfriends?"

Bonnie shook her head. "Not until they're her ex-boyfriend."

After that, Bonnie gave him a sweet smile, turned on her three inch heel and headed over towards Blair and Tyler. Her eyebrow flew up her dark skin when she saw what was about to happen over at the bar.

But before we go into that whole monstrosity, aren't you wondering what happened with Blair and Tyler while Bonnie and Stefan were talking? I know I am. Well, how about we go back in time just a bit and take a look at that, shall we?

Normally, both Blair and Tyler were very observant people. They preferred to watch everyone around them and gather information that way to later on be used properly. However, today they were absorbed with their own thoughts. Blair kept thinking about why Stefan had been so preoccupied with the fact that Tyler had given her a bracelet with a wolf pendant, and why Bonnie was so willing to stay behind with Stefan. Yes, she had checked over her shoulder to see that the pair were just talking. She wasn't stupid and she didn't trust any of her female friends anymore, even the ones who had never deceived her. After what happened between Serena and Nate, she took no chances.

Tyler simply kept wondering if it was actually safe to leave Bonnie alone with a vampire. He knew his friend was a witch, a supposedly very powerful one, but Stefan was a vampire. His supernatural enemy. Didn't that mean that in a fight, he would have the upper hand over Bonnie?

When the pair approached the bar, Blair ordered a dry martini and Tyler asked for a bourbon on the rocks. A brief moment passed before either said something to the other.

"Your mom did a great job decorating the place."

"You mean her decorator did a great job," she drawled, turning to him with a brow raised. "And since when do you notice the decor?"

He shrugged.

"It gave me something to do."

"Why not just look at me?" she joked, giving him the smallest of smirks and rested her arms behind her body while waiting for her drink. Tyler mimicked her actions as his own infamous smirk pulled across his lips.

"I already do. But with the way I look at you, you would think your big bad boyfriend would have stopped me by now." Blair rolled her eyes.

"You must have good timing that he doesn't see it."

"Or he's too busy with someone else to notice," said a different voice. Blair and Tyler turned suddenly to see Damon on the other side of Blair at the bar. The werewolf narrowed his hazel-rimmed hues at him as an old enemy would and a very faint growl boiled up from his chest. The girl had been glaring at the unwelcome intruder before turning quickly to her companion.

"Did you just growl?" she asked, raising a perfectly sculpted brow at him.

"Yes, did you just growl at me?" Damon asked, taunting the young werewolf. It wasn't hard for Damon to spot him. He was young and stupid enough to be so open about it. Plus, there was always some wet smell that werewolves exuded to vampires. At least to vampires who didn't feed on Bugs Bunny and the rest of his crowd. The same scent thing went for werewolves spotting vampires, except they smelled a rotting caucus rather than a wet animal.

That was kind of obvious though, wasn't it?

Or maybe it isn't to you and you're just painfully slow. If that's the case, I feel very sorry for you.

"No," Tyler said, rubbing his chest roughly. "I just ate something earlier that isn't agreeing with me. According to my dad, Lockwoods never did agree with well done meat."

"Lockwood, huh?" Damon asked, his brow perking in mock interest. He wasn't stupid. He remembered the Lockwoods from the 1800's just as his brother did and apparently they had been hiding a secret back then as well. He would have to find some way to get rid of this pup and fast. Or at least keep him away from him and Blair... And maybe his brother too. But that was an after thought.

"Yeah. We've kind of been in New York for a couple of centuries."

"So I've heard."

"And you are?"

"Damon. Damon Salvatore."

"Are you trying to be James Bond or something?" Tyler asked, raising a brow at him. His ears seemed to be perking up straighter the more his anger boiled beneath his skin.

"No. See, if I was, I would've said 'Salvatore, Damon Salvatore.' And then I would have whisked the most gorgeous woman in the room away from her date, no matter how committed she was to him, and I would have made her mine for the night." His bright eyes dangled on Blair, and she could certainly feel them boring into her, undressing her in the middle of the room. She only felt them leave her for a moment when he spoke to Tyler again. "If you're going to reference fantastic movies, at least do it right."

She had long grown tired of their exchange and Damon's wondering eyes was just another sign that she had to interject.

"You know, listening to you two play 'my dick is bigger than yours' is getting really old." She turned to Damon and gave him a smile that seemed incredibly forced and demeaning.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be? Or someone else to annoy?" asked Blair.

Damon smirked. "Nope. You're the only one on my radar," he replied, tapping her nose lightly, as if they were old lovers. Blair shook her head in distain, and Tyler moved to step in.

"Dude, that's your brother's girl."

"Dude? Really? How old are you, thirteen?"

"Oh, you are so dead," he growled under his breath.

It seemed as if both Damon and Tyler had an angel watching over them that night because right at the moment that Tyler was about to pounce and make a deadly mistake, Bonnie interjected. She placed her hand on Tyler's shoulder and pretended to be interested in Damon, even if that was the farthest thing from the truth.

"Tyler! I thought I told you not to go up to him," she said, feigning embarrassment. A faint pink color even appeared on her dark cheeks. Nice going, Bon.

"What?" he asked, looking to Bonnie as if he had just met her. "You nev-"

"I am so sorry about Ty," she said, shoving herself in front of the werewolf. Her backside pushed Tyler back and she smiled up at Damon.

"He has this complex..." she trailed off, scrunching up her face in a mixture of disgust and shame. Damon's eyes moved slowly from Bonnie to Tyler, who was standing behind her, still visibly fuming from the encounter. He noticed Blair's hand on his chest, and her lips against his ear. She heard him whispering words to pacify him as well as telling him that if he ruined the night for her mother, he'd never live through the week. It made a cat-like smirk appear on his lips as he returned his attention back to the young girl in front of him. Getting under the skin of other people was Damon's favorite game, and he played it damn well. If this attractive young girl was going to help him get further under anyones skin, he'd be happy to use her. Maybe he'd even get a meal out of it.

"Was he left alone as a child?" he asked, raising a brow at Bonnie. She laughed nervously and shrugged her shoulders.

"Potentially. Look, we came here as friends but I've seen you around the city lately and I've never really had the courage to say something until now." She gave him a wide smile before extending a hand towards him.

"My name's Bonnie," she said kindly. Damon reached for her hand and took a hold of it to shake it, only to quickly let go of it. The shock that ran through their bodies at the same time sent a very strong sign to the both of them. Damon got a horrible electric shock that he had never experienced before, and Bonnie got an image of a crow hovering over a small, chocolate labrador that she could sense the weakness from. The image felt evil and haunting but it had the strongest passion she'd ever sensed as well. She could also tell that he wasn't the monster terrorizing the city. It seemed that he was the crow in her vision, protecting the small puppy. Who the puppy represented, she couldn't be sure.

_But if it's neither of the Salvatore brothers, that means there are more vampires. Great. Just great._

Bonnie bit her bottom lip when she finally looked up and saw Damon's confused and annoyed expression and knew she needed some sort of excuse.

"Sorry about the shock. I guess being nervous caused the static shock."

"Since when is Damon your type, Bonnie?" Blair asked, finally able to push Tyler aside and realize what was going on beside her. The dark-haired girl swallowed roughly and turned suddenly to her friend.

"Everyone needs to try something different, B," she said, turning back around and backing up to seem as if she were talking to everyone around her. The situation turned awkward horribly fast and Bonnie knew that it was time to get out. She grabbed Tyler's arm and waved to everyone else, making sure that he wouldn't be able to stay behind and cause trouble.

"Come on, Ty. I need to get home. It was nice meeting you Damon, and B, tell your mom it was a great party and congratulations on her new line. Okay, see you in school. Bye!" As quickly as she spoke, Bonnie and Tyler were already halfway to the elevator, leaving Damon and Blair to themselves.

"What the hell, Bon? You're acting like the building is on fire. Did you even get what you needed?" Tyler asked in a rough, harsh voice, finally able to say something, as the brunette continued to drag him away from the group.

"Yup."

"... And?" he asked after a long moment where his parter in crime hadn't provided any information. Bonnie pressed the button for the elevator wildly, as if that would call it to them faster.

"Neither of them is the vampire terrorizing the city." Bonnie was acting frantic and Tyler wasn't only confused but far from convinced.

"Then why are you acting like something horrible is happening?"

"Because that means there's another vampire out there. And I have to figure out who it is."

Finally, the elevator doors opened to reveal a stunning blonde on the other side. She wore a great smile and a fantastic metallic dress that hugged each of her curves perfectly, making her long legs seem ten times longer. When her bright eyes caught sight of her two friends, an even brighter smile pulled onto her lips. She stepped over the threshold, waving at them.

"Hey guys! I didn't know you would be here," Serena said. Bonnie pulled Tyler into the elevator without saying anything to the girl. Serena didn't understand the idea of them together. Then again, she really didn't understand a lot of things that happened around her lately.

Now, there is one thing we have to get straight before we go any further with the story. Never, in her life, did Serena ever truly think of herself as someone who deserved to be considered the center of the universe. It just so happen that everything always seemed to go her way because of the way she acted. So, she just never changed. Why change if things were always good? That was her philosophy and she was going to stick to it.

The only thing she didn't understand was why when she had flirted with Stefan Salvatore the first day of school, he never showed any sort of interest in her. In fact, he seemed as if he were in some sort of pain having her speak to him. Sure, she thought it was self-centered of her to think that he should have flirted back with her, but it wasn't like she thought that because she was Serena van der Woodsen or anything.

Sure you didn't, Serena. Sure.

The leggy blonde let out a small huff as the elevator doors closed and pressed her perfectly glossed lips together in a firm line from frustration. All she wanted was for her friends to stop acting so weird. The blonde head turned to look at the group of people around her. She was looking for somebody, anybody, who she actually knew. No, that was wrong. She knew everyone in the room at that moment, at least by name and reputation, but she wanted to see if she could find someone who she actually cared to talk to and cared to talk to her. Now that was something that was actually hard to come by nowadays.

The days of her being able to go and talk to Nate or Dan were long gone. It had been wrong to basically pin them against one another and because of that she had lost both of them as true friends. They were all she had for a long time, along with Blair, and now... Now it felt like she had nobody.

The sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that would appear each time she would think of it, had started to form once more. It felt like a lead weight in her stomach and as striking eyes roamed the room it seemed to hold down her body more and more. Finally, she came upon a head of upswept chestnut hair and her body lightened. Serena bit her bottom lip at the sight of Stefan Salvatore. For some odd reason, he made her feel something. She wasn't sure what it was, but she certainly liked the feeling. It was different than any other boy made her feel. It was really kind of nice.

The blonde strode over to Stefan and sat down next to him, crossing one long leg over the other. She always seemed to be able to grab the attention of the opposite sex with her legs.

"Hey," she said sweetly. Stefan popped up and looked over at Serena, giving her a small but polite smile.

"Hi."

They fell silent in that moment.

Obviously, her legs weren't working the same magic she hoped they would.

"Are you having fun?" she asked, raising a brow at him. Sure, she was fishing for conversation but have you seen Stefan? Could you really blame her? Heck, if I were her, I would be fighting to put my tongue down his throat and my hand down his pants.

"I was," he started, speaking as if it were the most difficult thing in the world. Stefan realized that he was being pretty rude to the blonde and turned his head slightly to continue to speak to her with a very bored expression on his face. "But then Tyler and Bonnie came over and they were being really weird."

"Well, they were acting weird when they left too. I was just trying to say hi and they completely ignored me over by the elevator," she offered, jutting her finger towards the elevator. It seemed to get Stefan's attention. His eyebrows perked upwards in sudden interest.

"Tyler and Bonnie left?"

"Yeah, a few seconds ago." She sighed. This was going absolutely no where and it was really bothering her. Okay, so maybe Serena was a little self-centered. Sue her!

No, really. Go and sue her. She's loaded!

"Hey, Stef," she said to him, a questioning tone in her voice. This seemed to not be noticed at all by the vampire who started looking around feverishly for his girlfriend. If Bonnie and Tyler were gone, that meant that Blair was open for Damon to swoop in and steal… That is if Damon was already still at the apartment of course, but after knowing his older brother for over a hundred and fifty years, he was sure that he had found a reason to stay inside the Waldorf household.

"Stefan," Serena said more sternly, finally snapping Stefan back to her.

"What?" he said rather rudely to her. The blonde pursed her full lips at the man. Her body raised itself off of the bench and moved so she was blocking was much of Stefan's vision of the rest of the room as possible.

"Look, you might be Blair's boyfriend but that does not mean you can just completely ignore me when I'm trying to talk to you. I'm a human being too, you know?"

Oh, Serena is feisty tonight! This is going to be good.

"What?" he asked, confused with the blondes sudden anger towards him. He really didn't think he was that oblivious as to not know why the hell she went through the sudden mood change.

_And I thought Blair's mood swings were bad._

Oh, just you wait Salvatore. Just you wait.

"What are you talking about, Serena?"

"I've been doing nothing but trying to be sociable and you've been rude and completely ignoring me," she snapped back.

"I'm worried about my girlfriend."

"She's in her own home with plenty of people around her in a building that is heavily secured. I think she's fine."

"Not if my brother's here," he said standing suddenly, looking around harder for either Blair or Damon. Serena put her hands firmly on her hips.

"I told Damon I wasn't coming here."

"You don't know my brother."

"And you obviously don't know Blair. She can take care of herself." Stefan was growing extremely angry and annoyed. He was slowly starting to lose control and he knew that was very dangerous for Serena. She seemed persistent in being around him, something that made him just want to send a large glass object across the foyer.

Of course, that would draw a very large bit of unwanted attention and he had to keep his cool.

"Blair was right about you," he said. A very cruel sounding tone dancing across his lips. He turned fully in his spot to face the blonde girl completely, abandoning his plight to find his girlfriend for the moment. He knew what he was about to say was a good bit of an exaggeration merely based on some of the whisperings he had heard around school, but he was desperate to get Serena away from him before he did something he really regretted.

"Excuse me?" she countered in a visibly uneven voice

"She said that you can't stand when the attention isn't on you and you can't stand it even more when she gets the prince and you don't. I didn't want to believe her, but I guess she was right." Stefan's voice dripped with disgust for the blonde as his eyes raked over her luscious figure. He could hear her blood rushing faster and faster as her heart rate sped up. He had to get away from her.

Serena stood in front of him in disbelief, her plump lips hung open. As Stefan continued to stand in front of her, that same strange feeling he had been feeling since he'd met her bubbled up higher.

"You're a liar. Blair would never say such a thing about me. I'm her best friend." Her voice was wavering but she wouldn't give in. Serena straightened her stance, as if to further prove her point. That strange feeling Stefan felt seemed to grow strong in his head.

The strange thing about the feeling was that he had never felt it before, but the pull of it was so strong, it actually frightened the vampire a bit. It kept telling him that there was something about Serena that he should try. He thought that he would feel that feeling around Blair and to a certain extent, he did. There was a certain need to protect the Waldorf that ran through his non-pulsing veins but the feeling he had with Serena… Well… That was much stronger, and it certainly frightened him.

He knew it wasn't safe to stay around Serena until he figured out what was going on, but he also knew he couldn't leave the party without feeling the wrath of Blair. That was a fate he was trying very hard to avoid.

Good move, Salvatore. That wrath is probably worse than a stake through the heart.

"I have to go," he said, sounding very rushed, and ran past her, towards the nearest bathroom. He was, however, very unaware that Serena wasn't going to give up that easily. He underestimated her. A feat that happened on more than one occasion and as of late, Serena rather enjoyed proving people wrong. She followed him to the bathroom and began to plan her next move. She could tell that he wasn't telling the truth, or so she believed. Blair would never say something so horrible about her. Sure, the brunette could be known for being cruel, but she actually cared deeply about Serena. She just couldn't believe that such a thing would come across the plump lips that she had known for so long.

Lesbihonest Serena, there's a little something in your mind there, hmm?

Once safely inside the bathroom, Stefan took a tight grip of the stone sink and nearly ripped it out of the floor. He was having a hard time controlling himself. He knew it was a result of not having properly fed for decades and not even having something in the last week, but he was sure he would have been able to control himself. Unfortunately, he hadn't planned for this encounter with the infamous Van der Woodsen to throw his control out of whack.

A sickening crack echoed around the small room. There was a small fist banging on the door and a voice demanding entrance or answers.

God, they are so melodramatic right?

Oh, what's that? You want to know what happened between Blair and Damon after Bonnie and Tyler left? I suppose that it's only fair to tell you about them as well.

As Bonnie and Tyler made their quick escape, Blair watched them leave, her dark brows rose high on her forehead. She was absolutely dumbfounded by their very strange actions.

"Well, I gotta say one thing about you, Waldorf," said the snarky voice behind her.

"You do not throw a boring party."

Blair wasn't facing him. She refused to face him and give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had gotten under her skin so easily this time around. Of course, under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have to be around one another for too long. This was probably the longest stretch of time they had ever spent together and the soon to be eighteen year old was understanding why she preferred the younger Salvatore to the older. Stefan didn't bug the crap out of her.

Unfortunately for her, Damon already knew quite well just how much he had gotten under her skin. He could hear her blood moving faster under her creamy skin and her heart pumping faster as a result. His lips curled into his signature smirk as his hand slowly reached up and pushed a few of her soft curls to the side to expose the nape of her neck, and he could tell it had an effect. The rough pads of his fingers dragged across her skin as small goosebumps popped up behind the trail his fingers had taken. Her body's reaction caused his smirk to grow, and Blair to quickly turn around to face him. He did note, however, that she hadn't initially stopped him from moving the hair to begin with.

Blair didn't like the reaction her body had to his touch. To her, it was dangerous how good his fingers felt on her skin.

Well, B, that's actually kind of a bad sign. Not so sorry to say.

"Excuse me, do you know nothing about personal boundaries?" she snapped at him, pushing his outstretched hand down from where it hung in midair.

"You didn't seem to mind."

"I'm not your girlfriend."

"And you never will be with that attitude."

"Well thank god for that," she finished. She wasn't sure what it was, but the banter with him actually made her want to smile and her insides melt a little bit. She quickly pushed back that thought and made a mental note to later find it and beat it with a large and heavy object to make sure it never saw the light of day again.

Damon chuckled and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end, just as it had when he ran his fingertips across her skin. There wasn't much that could scare the Waldorf girl, but when it came to Damon, there was one very big thing that scared her: How she felt around him. There was this strange pull that she felt towards him, a pull she had never felt towards anyone in her entire life. Blair was a romantic at heart, and she wholeheartedly believed that when she met the person she was going to spend the rest of her life with, she would just know. There would be something that would tell her that a specific person was meant to be hers for the rest of time. And that stupid pull was a sign she would have accepted under normal circumstances. The fact that it came from the direction of Damon Salvatore… No. She refused to see it as a sign.

 _That damn smirk…_ she thought, as he kept the fox-like expression on his face.

"You don't mean that," he said.

"Excuse me?" she asked, retracting herself away from the very close space he had seemed to mentally put them in.

_Get out of my head, Salvatore!_

"You want to be my girlfriend. You want the all consuming love that you're sure I would provide. You just don't want to prove me right. The pride you feel is the only thing getting in the way." He chuckled loudly in triumph. Blair scoffed and narrowed her eyes at him.

"You're out of your mind. I like the Salvatore I have, thank you very much," she countered and something in the back of Damon's head seemed to click. An old tape recorder replayed those exact same words that Natalie had told him so long ago. The only difference was that Natalie then told him that she was willing to be proven wrong and Damon knew that Blair wouldn't be saying that.

If there was one thing he had learned about the girl before him, it was that she was definitely not a carbon copy of the woman who had stolen his heart over a century and a half earlier. They might have looked exactly alike, a phenomena he still did not understand, but they weren't as similar in the personality department as he had expected.

"Then how come you're still standing here, talking to me, instead of going to find your precious boyfriend?" he asked, raising a brow, and taking a slow sip of his suddenly remembered drink.

Blair opened her mouth to respond to him, even if she didn't have a real response that even she would call bull shit on, when her mother cut her off with her own booming words.

"Everyone! Everyone, can I have your attention?" Blair briefly wondered where her mother had gotten a microphone from, but quickly dismissed it. She was a Waldorf. They always got what they needed when they needed it. The room quieted down and turned in their spots to face the woman of the hour.

"First of all, I would like to thank all of you for coming tonight and I hope you all are just as excited for the release of my new line as I am. In my opinion, it's my best work yet. And in celebration of that, I would like to open my Great Room for a couple of songs." Eleanor sent a signal to the man behind Damon and Blair at the bar who disappeared for a moment before reappearing with a small control panel. He pressed a few buttons and music began to slowly pour into the room at a comfortable level.

"Dance everyone!" Eleanor insisted.

Blair hesitated when she started to really listen to the music. It was a slow song. Just the sort of music that you would dance to with your boyfriend but sadly, she hadn't seen him since she had disappeared with Tyler and that worried her. Even in that moment, when her eyes desperately searched for him, she was unsuccessful. A clink of glass on marble reached her ears and she could only pray that what she thought was about to happen, wasn't.

"Can I have this dance, Miss Waldorf?" Damon asked from behind her. She took a deep breath as she began to look even harder for Stefan. Her heart was starting to beat faster and she didn't know what to do. She tried to take a step away to go look for the suddenly missing figure in her life when a strong and rough hand wrapped itself around her small wrist and turned her around gracefully. Blair looked up at Damon shocked. She wasn't sure what was happening in her head. She wasn't able to clearly think with him so close to her and that both annoyed and freaked her out.

It seemed no matter what she did, Damon always caused these emotions to clash in her.

He easily sensed her resistance and rolled his bright blue eyes. The action seemed to calm her down significantly and he realized that he had to deal with her in a certain way to get her to swing in the direction that showed her being comfortable around him.

"I can promise you that Stefan will cut in when he shows up."

"Then why ask me to dance?"

"It's a way that James Bond wins over the girls," he replied, his lips curling up into the same smirk that he seemed to wear for the whole night and perhaps his whole life and perhaps she was actually starting to enjoy seeing it. The brunette shook her head in disbelief. She took a deep breath and pressed her lips together in thought. Blair was having a hard time really finding a reason, besides looking for Stefan, to step away from him and refuse the dance. Finally, her selfish mind decided to stumble upon a good compromise.

"Fine. One dance. And then I'm looking for Stefan." She spoke firmly. Damon smiled and led her out to the dance floor. He, of course, strategically placed them in the center of the dance floor and Blair could feel her heartbeat starting to race wildly once more. Her paranoia made her believe that a million camera phones started to instantly click away as they moved closer and closer to the center.

He could feel her grow more and more agitated as time passed and he loved to make her feel that way. He felt like Blair didn't take enough risks and dancing with him, from what he could tell, was a big one. So, he did the only thing he, as Damon Salvatore, would do: he wrapped one strong arm around her petite waist and took a gentle hold of one of her hands with his free hand before he brought her flush against his body. With a small wink, he began to spin them in a simple box step. He quickly sensed her growing bored with the simple steps and began a more complicated set of footsteps, something she easily kept up with.

"You're better on your feet than I anticipated," he mentioned, trying to break the horrible silence that had grown between them. He then decided to ignore the part of him that told him that the silence between them had actually started to physically hurt.

"Did you think I was really going to be that bad of a dancer?"

"Yes and no."

She rose a brow at him, questioning his reasoning for such a thought.

"Seriously? Have you not heard of my reputation or my family name?" she asked, surprised that he didn't know who she was or everything about her that was available on the internet.

If he were honest with her, he had looked up everything he could find about her on Gossip Girl (it seemed to be the source with the most interesting information) and he was pretty sure he knew her fairly well. He wasn't about to tell her that of course. Damon wasn't here to feed her ego, especially if she wasn't going to feed his.

"I don't care what your surname is, Blair," he said very plainly as he continued to turn them around and around in time with the music. "You're young. I have a hard time imagining that you actually know a whole variety of steps to make you able to be on my level," he continued to explain, his nose up in the air. He was clearly joking, but she didn't seem to entirely grasp that. Blair rolled her eyes at him.

"Does your head ever get tired of being so far up your own ass?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. He genuinely laughed, and allowed his shoulders to slightly lift.

"I didn't know you spoke with such a dirty tongue. Do you kiss my brother with that mouth? I don't think his innocent ears can really take it." Blair kept her lips in a tight line and remained silent. She was trying to determine whether or not she could get some of the really juicy information out of Damon, or if she was even really willing to listen to all of it. For all she knew, it could be a total and complete line of bullshit. However, there was something about Damon that told her that if she asked, he would give her more truth than Stefan would. It truly didn't make any sense to her as to why she trusted her boyfriends estranged brother over her actual boyfriend. The fact that she did was really starting to bug her more than it already did.

"Will you tell me something?" she asked him softly.

"Anything," he teased. She noticed that his eyebrows often did a jumping thing. It was always followed by his eyes doing this bulging out of his head thing. She thought that it was weird. She figured that he thought it was attractive and a way to try and seduce her, but Blair wasn't that easy. Plus, to her, the thing he did with his eyebrows looked like a twitch. Definitely not sexy.

"What happened between you and Stefan?" Damon's face turned to stone at her question and she had a feeling she wasn't going to get as far with him as she thought she would. That wouldn't stop her from trying of course.

Good observation there, Waldorf.

"I thought you said he already told you. Isn't that what you said to me earlier this evening?" he said to her in a very crass tone, something she honestly expected, but didn't appreciate at all.

"Something tells me that you're just itching to tell me your side of the story."

"What if there is no other side?"

"There's always another side. So spill."

Damon continued to dance with her, looking into her dark eyes and debating on whether or not it was actually a good idea to bring up Natalie.

"What exactly did he tell you?"

"What does it matter?"

"I want to know just how much he lied about."

"How do I know you aren't the one lying if I do tell you?"

Damon scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Why are you asking if you're so convinced that you're not going to believe me?"

"Because I want to know your half."

"So then answer my question."

It was Blair's turn to scoff and roll her eyes. She really hated giving into someone else's terms. "He said you both dated her. That you couldn't take the fact that she chose him and not you." Damon laughed and shook his head as if he had just heard the funniest thing ever spoken.

Well, if people weren't paying attention to them before, they certainly were now.

"Natalie knew exactly what she was doing," he started.

"So you're blaming her? Typical."

"Are you going to interrupt me every five minutes or are you actually going to let me tell my story?" he asked, getting more and more annoyed with her as time went on. She went silent and heaved a sigh before licking her impossibly full lips, silently urging him to go on.

"She wanted us both and wanted us to be okay with that, but as I'm sure you can tell, my brother and I don't work like that." She quietly listened to him tell his story and pressed her lips together.

"Did you two ever realize what she was doing?"

"Yeah. We're not dumb boys, Blair. We realized quickly that she was pinning us against one another but we didn't leave her."

"Why not?" she asked kindly.

"We each loved her and were convinced she loved us and not the other one."

"So you didn't leave her because you were in love?"

"I thought I was," he said, almost without really thinking. He hadn't realize that he had said something he truly did not plan to.

"And now?" she asked in a soft tone.

"Now is now." Blair bit her bottom lip and lowered her gaze for a moment. A question popped into her head and she brought her head up to look at him again.

"How long ago did you two end?"

"Well, we never really did. And neither did she and Stefan."

"Excuse me?" she asked, quickly and angrily. It was astonishing how fast the words came out of her mouth and how fast her temper flared. She basically cut off Damon as he spoke.

"Oh don't get your panties in a bunch. That is unless they are going to be bunched up and put into my pocket, of course." The smile he flashed her was bright and playful, but she quickly tried to push him away. Damon wasn't about to let that happen. He tightened his grip around her waist, so she couldn't get away from him.

"Would you let me finish?" he asked, annoyed. "Stefan isn't cheating on you. I have to say, he's a Saint in that respect." He watched as Blair swallowed back the lump in her throat. His bright orbs watched as it moved down her neck and his eyes lingered there for a long moment.

"Then what happened?" she asked sheepishly.

"She died."

It seemed the moment he uttered those two words, the music stopped and so did the rest of the world. Blair felt her stomach fall out of her body and her throat replace it. Damon pulled away from her and the pair stood across from one another with an arms length between them and a silent room surrounding them.

Neither had realized that they had been dancing to nothing for a while and thanks to that, they had grabbed the attention of the entire room. Damon's expression softened. He actually gave her the smallest ghost of a smile before gracefully moving to leave the room and her apartment.

She stood in the center of the crowd and looked around at everyone for a moment. She knew that they were all looking at her and the first thought that came to her mind wasn't a concern for any Gossip Girl blasts that would fly out as a result of the dance, but rather how dare Damon leave her in the middle of that room alone. Blair was furious with him and she was going to make sure he knew it. The brunette bunched her fists and dashed past various party guests, to go out of her building to follow him as fast as her four inch pumps could take her.

By the time she reached the floor level and was out of the front door, she just caught Damon rounding the corner of the street.

Why Damon wasn't moving as fast as his vampiric speed would allow remained a mystery to all those who knew of his special powers, including himself. However, to Blair, who didn't know about this, he was just being a coward and running as far away as possible. She wasn't about to let him get away with that.

Blair was in hot pursuit of the man, who thankfully, seemed completely oblivious of her following him. She knew that he would be going back to his house and she thanked god that he and his brother didn't live somewhere that was less than desirable.

Suddenly, Damon stopped in front of an entrance to Central Park. His ears perked up as if a loud crash had alerted him. He crouched low and started to imitate an animal in pursuit of something. His sudden stop caused Blair to stop in her own spot. He moved slowly into the park, sniffing the area in front of him cautiously.

 _He's absolutely insane,_ she thought, raising a brow at his actions. Not that it stopped her from following him. Something deep in the reassesses of her mind told her not to stop following him. There was something at the end of this sneaking around that she wanted to see. No, it was something that she needed to see.

Blair continued to follow Damon. She just wanted to know what he was looking for, but going up to him and asking wasn't in her best interest.

Unfortunately, things didn't work in her favor. Damon had suddenly disappeared from where he was in front of her and her face fell in confusion.

"What the hell?" she asked quietly to the air around her.

As suddenly as Damon disappeared, he reappeared, pushing her out of the public view and pinned her up against a tree snatching the breath from her lungs. His hands held her arms tight against her body and his face was screwed up in severe anger.

"Have you lost your mind?" he whispered harshly. His face was inches from hers and she was having a hard time getting out of his grip. The rough hands that had been wrapped so kindly around her waist a few minutes prior were now hard and angry.

"Do you understand how dangerous this is?"

"What are you talking about? Why are you skulking around like Crocodile Dundee?" she snapped, still trying to get out of his grip, however futile it really was. She continued to squirm and fight until finally, she was able to look over his shoulder and saw exactly what she thought she was supposed to, but easily realized she really could have lived without seeing it.

A woman was bent down over a seemingly lifeless body with her face buried in its neck. Blood was spilling to the ground and Blair wasn't sure of what to think.

"What in the world is that?" she breathed. Damon looked over his shoulder to find the vampire sucking the life out of some poor sucker and groaned in annoyance. Normally, he wouldn't interrupt someone else's meal (he thought doing that was rather rude) but whoever it was in the middle of Central Park, was risking exposing him as well. And no one exposed Damon Salvatore.

He groaned and let go of Blair before easily tackled the female off the guy. As he did, he extended his fangs and allowed the veins beneath his eyes to darken severely. He was going to slash this dumb bitches throat open when he finally realized who it was beneath him.

When Damon let go of her, Blair rushed over to the person who had been dinner. She couldn't believe who it was. It was Dan Humphrey! She couldn't believe it! Any and all disgust she ever felt for the man because of where he lived went out of the window and her compassionate side that hardly anyone ever saw took over.

"No, no, no. Dan, please don't die," she said softly, pressing her hand to the wound in a vein attempt to stop the thick liquid that was coming from his neck. Blair pulled his head into her lap to have a better angle at the wound and be able to put more pressure to his skin. She didn't care that it was starting to stain her one of a kind dress or that it would mess up her flawless manicure, she just wanted it to stop. It wasn't flowing heavily but she wasn't sure that was a good thing or even what was happening.

"You were supposed to be dead," Damon said softly, to the woman he was straddling. Blair could hardly comprehend why he was saying what he was saying. Her head was snapping back and forth from Dan to Damon. For once, she was actually worried about someone else rather than herself and her own safety.

Blair always made it seem like she was a heartless bitch, but truthfully, she did have a heart. Or at least a semblance of one.

"Damon, please help! I think he's dying!" she yelled, trying to press harder on the wound.

A low chuckle was heard over by Damon and Blair stopped dead in her tracks.

"You're just as dumb and gullible as you were in 1864. If only Natalie could see you now," said the voice. Damon seemed completely dumbfounded by what was happening and Blair didn't look much better. The vampire below Damon smirked and wrapped her small hand around his shirt collar, pulling him down so she could whisper in his ear. "You got really hot in almost two centuries. But I gotta say," she paused and quickly flipped their positions with ease. Blair had to blink rapidly to completely understand just how fast it had happened. "You were hotter when you were under me." The chuckle sounded through the small area again before she stilled. Blair wasn't sure if she wanted to get a better look at whomever it was that sounded so threatening, but when she did, her eyes went wide in shock at what was in front of her.

She was a beautiful woman. She wore tight leather pants, stiletto heeled black boots, a form-fitting black t-shirt and a fitted leather jacket. Her head was thick with curls and thick rivers of Dan's blood were running down her chin. Her coffee-colored skin was flawless except for the thick veins that pressed against the skin beneath her nearly black eyes. Blair was stunned. How was this, any of this, even possible?

"Who are you?" she asked softly. The woman chuckled and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"I see the Salvatore brothers have decided to keep you clueless. Shame. Maybe if they didn't, it would be a fair fight." She shrugged and sped off in the opposite direction. It was with the same speed with which she had switched her and Damon's positions. Blair watched her speed off before turning back to ask Damon what the hell was going on but he wasn't there. Her face screwed up in confusion before her eyes dropped to Dan, whose head was still sitting in her lap.

Blair continued to cry out for help before patting Dan's pockets, looking for his phone. Finally, she found it with a sigh of relief. She called 911 immediately and waited for the proper authorities to come. She was actually worried about Dan Humphrey, and a large part of her didn't like it.

Awe, Blair. So sorry you're actually feeling things. Just you wait. It's only going to get worse.


	6. brooklyn nightmare

Now, for Dan Humphrey, sitting at home on a Saturday night wasn't something out of the ordinary. The curly-haired boy sat on the couch in the loft, with his legs sprawled out and his laptop propped up on his lap. His father and sister had left hours ago for their weekly father-daughter bonding "date" and he was still staring at the same blank screen he had been looking at earlier. He wanted to write the great American novel and so far there was absolutely nothing. He didn't even have a title!

That's quite pathetic, Daniel. Quite pathetic.

His dark brown eyes darted up to the clock in the corner of his screen. He bit down on his thumbnail nervously. He was waiting for someone and he was really kind of freaked out that he was waiting for this specific person.

After all, who would have expected Dan Humphrey to grab another Upper East Side princess after he and Serena broke up?

Certainly not I.

When he first met his princess, he was sure that he was imagining things. After all, what would a self-respecting USE'er be doing in a run down and scuzzy bar in the middle of Brooklyn? He could still remember how beautiful she looked that night. She seemed more dangerous and more willing to experience something dangerous than any of her peers. It made him want to try out what she was offering and didn't care who said anything about it.

There was only one downfall to this beautiful arrangement: he couldn't talk to her about it while they were in school. He was having what he thought was this fantastic relationship filled with passion and mystery and very good sex but he couldn't be open about it to the rest of the world like he preferred. Hell, he'd been having a hard time even locating her at school in order to steal a quick moment with her.

He should've been furious with her insistence to keep things secret but there was just something about her. She kept him pulled in and there was just something about the way she explained her side of things that made him okay with it all. As he lounged on the couch, his fingertips kept tapping against the laptop in anticipation, no words actually being typed. Any minute now his girl (God he loved calling her that) would show up and the pair would be taking a walk in Central Park.

He wasn't sure why he was so nervous about this adventure. He figured that she would probably bail on it. After all, why would she want to risk being seen with him in Manhattan where her cover could be blown and her entire reputation as a real life princess would be ruined? The only reason he could come up with was that this was her way to finally show them off to the world. If that were the case, well then, call him ready.

A rapping at the door brought his attention out of his thoughts and back into the real world. His body jolted and he created quite a ruckus balancing his laptop on the cluttered coffee table and getting himself untangled from the stupid wires. Who knew anyone but Serena could get him this messed up and anxious?

Finally, he pulled the thick steel door open to reveal the girl he was steadily falling for and man, was he happy he was not wearing anything tight on his lower half. She looked hotter than he had ever seen her, and he had seen her naked.

"Wow," he managed to babble out. His dark eyes took in her entire ensemble and couldn't believe he was still standing and wasn't on top of her. "You, uh… You look… Heh. Wow."

The girl smirked at him and tilted her head to the side.

"I'm going to have to remember to wear things like this more often. I kind of like this reaction." She laughed and his body felt lighter than it did before.

"Katherine… Are you sure you're still planning a walk in the park?" Dan managed to choke out. He couldn't stop staring at her, and while that was all fine and dandy, she was getting bored with his gawking.

You see, Katherine had a secret.

She, like Damon and Stefan, was a vampire.

Her purpose in New York City? Well, that's just something I can't tell you guys right now. It would give too much away!

All you need to know is that Katherine isn't working on her own and that the end result of her plan would be that she would survive. She didn't really care about others. And so far? It was working perfectly.

Tonight she was going to throw a new part of her plan into effect and Dan was going to be the perfect catalyst to that. He had been so cooperative. Although, it probably helped that she kept compelling him to slowly develop feelings for a girl he hardly knew.

Compulsion, in her opinion, was truly the most beautiful thing about being a vampire. It was only second to staying forever young and beautiful.

"Are you done staring at me? Because the idea of walking in these heels all the way to Central Park is not the most fun idea to me."

"Then why are we doing it?" Dan asked curiously. Katherine's lips curled up into a sweet smile as her lithe fingers slowly dragged themselves across his cheek, resting on his strong jawbone.

"It's romantic, don't you think?" she answered in the sweetest tone she could muster. Dan laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess it sort of is." Dan grabbed his keys and jacket before closing the door behind him and allowing Katherine's arm to hook through his. The pair were silent for a long time, just enjoying one another's company, or at least Dan was just enjoying the company, Katherine was plotting her next move without compulsion.

The second Dan's foot landed on Manhattan soil, a thought popped into his head. He turned to whom he believed to be Blair and narrowed his eyebrows at her.

"Isn't Blair's mother having a party for her new line tonight?"

"She is," Katherine answered quickly. _Shit,_ she thought. _Stupid humans._ Who the hell has a party for a new line when you are no where near a household name? To Katherine, Eleanor Waldorf was hardly worthy of that status.

"Shouldn't you be there?"

"Are you complaining about spending time with me, Humphrey?" she asked, seeming quite offended. Truly, Katherine was offended with herself for not having come up with a better excuse for this situation.

"No! No, no, no. Of course not," he chuckled nervously, and rubbed the back of his neck roughly.

"It's just… I always thought Blair was your friend. If Vanessa's parents were having a big part to celebrate something they were proud of, I wouldn't let anything keep me away." Dan was big on loyalty; something that really irked her. Caring about someone else made you weak and vulnerable. It was why she was almost killed about two hundred years ago when she was last in New York. The Salvatore brothers were almost the death of her, and now, she would be sure to repay the favor.

"Her mom has had more parties to launch a new line than I've had birthdays, it's fine if I miss one."

"Does Blair know?"

"Why does it matter if Blair knows?" she snapped back. Dan was really starting to grind her nerves to the point that she almost didn't want to look at him. However, the idea of snapping his neck and throwing him into the nearest sewer really didn't suit her plans just yet either. Damn her plans.

"I thought she was your best friend. We were hanging out yesterday, and she told me she was going with Stefan's brother, Damon."

"Damon?" she scoffed and rolled her eyes. "They deserve each other. They can kiss one another's asses and be disgusting together." Okay, so maybe Katherine was a little bitter that both of the Salvatore brothers seemed to be focused on two other women who weren't her, but she was selfish. Could you really blame her after knowing that?

"Katherine! You hang out with her, how can you say that?"

"And you dated her! You know how she is." She stopped in her spot and twirled on her heel to look at him. "Can you really tell me that I'm wrong?" she asked, raising her brows to enhance her point. Dan took a deep breath and ran his hand roughly over his face, allowing her silky words to wash over him.

"I guess you're kind of right. Look, I'm sorry for bringing it up. I know you aren't the highest on the socialite totem pole. Can we forget I said anything and just keep walking? We're almost there," he said, gesturing in front of them. Katherine allowed her full lips to slowly curl into a smile and nodded.

"Alright." The pair turned back to the path they'd been walking and remained quiet. Katherine didn't want to talk to Dan and was a little annoyed at how distrusting he'd become. She needed him to stay on her side, even if he was unaware he was doing so. Finally, they turned into the famous park, still in the comfortable silence.

That was broken when Dan's phone buzzed in his pocket. Katherine rolled her eyes in annoyance.

Sometimes it wasn't that hard to impersonate an Upper East Sider.

"Is that your dad wondering where you are?" she asked, stopping in her spot to spin around to face him. She crossed her arms over her chest which pushed her breasts up to give anyone who was looking a fantastic view of her cleavage. Dan, of course, had his eyes fall victim to their pull but quickly redirected his attention to her eyes. He was a gentleman after all.

"You really need to cut the cord, Dan. He's cutting into time that we could be having fun together." She winked at him mischievously and Dan laughed. He never would've imagined a girl like her to be so intelligent and sex driven at the same time.

"Let me just tell him that I'll be home in a few hours and then I'm all yours." He went searching through his pocket for his phone.

"As if you're not already," Katherine said under her breath, earning another laugh from Dan. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right. He was addicted to her in a strange way, and he liked it.

Finally, he was able to retrieve his phone and pulled open the picture message. His eyes screwed up in complete confusion.

_Hey Upper East Siders, do I have a wild scoop for you._

_Above is a picture that was sent to me minutes ago straight from Eleanor Waldorf's latest release party._

_It seems that Miss Blair Waldorf has all but forgotten her new golden boy suitor and has traded up for the sexier and more dangerous version._

_The pair were seen dancing together to a very romantic song and then as soon as Damon left without a word, Blair followed suit._

_Poor B. Can't take being left in the middle of a dance floor, can you?_

_I know there's more to this story. And I won't sleep until I find out everything._

_Keep me posted!_

_You know you love me._

_xoxo, Gossip Girl._

Dan scrolled back up to the picture and sure enough it was Blair and Damon standing a good arms length apart in the middle of her living room. He could sense the tension between the pair even just from the still picture. He could only imagine what it would have been like if he had actually been there and witnessed the scene unfold.

Dan glanced upwards and found Katherine standing there. She was bored waiting for him to do whatever he was doing. What was more interesting was that her phone hadn't rang with the same message.

After all, what Upper East Sider, didn't subscribe to Gossip Girl?

In that moment, he realized that he had been betrayed and the girl he believed to be slowly falling in love with was lying to him.

"Who are you?" he asked harshly.

Oh! Feisty Dan. I think I like that better than feisty Serena. We'll have to see, won't we?

"What are you talking about?" Katherine asked in a tone that matched his harshness.

"You aren't a student at Constance."

"Are you high? I told you to stop taking hits off of whatever Nate had. I'm positive his shit is laced with something." Katherine couldn't understand what had gotten into Dan suddenly. He was acting strangely and if it were up to her, she would just shut him up with compulsion, but she hadn't fed in a while and she knew her powers wouldn't be at the highest level they could be.

Dan's emotions were going into hyperdrive. He was having such a hard time grasping the idea that the person he was falling for was a total liar. Dan was a very passionate person and when he had feelings, they were full and engulfing. To have his heart shattered in the way it was, he wasn't sure how to handle it. At least with Serena, things were just complicated because they were from two different worlds, but this girl, whomever she was, had completely lied to him and tried to get him to believe that she was someone she wasn't. And the fact that she was so good at pretending to be one of Blair's minions probably scared him more than anything.

Did that mean that he hadn't been in love at all? Had she put some sort of hex on him?

What was he thinking about? Hexes and magic didn't exist!

Oh how wrong you are, Humphrey…

All of the concerns he had weeks ago about the strange terms of their relationship that he was able to get over were now coming back to the surface and throwing him for a bigger loop than when he had originally dealt with them.

"I am not high!" Dan yelled. His face was growing extremely red and Katherine raised her brows in shock. He certainly had more of a backbone than she had initially thought. Or, how her Mama would have said, he had more of a fire. Soon a phone was shoved in her face and a picture of Blair and Damon standing together in a room was staring right back at her.

"Why didn't you get a blast? And why aren't you freaking out about it?" he roared.

 _Shit,_ she thought. _Well, I guess it's time for dinner._

Her tanned hand came up and took a tight hold of Dan's wrist, bringing the phone out of her face. No one got in Katherine Pierce's face and lived to tell the tale. The fact that Dan was human was just a perk. She twisted Dan's wrist around. A sickening crack hit her ears and it only fueled her to continue. She was horribly sadistic and hearing the pain she was causing was just something that kept her momentum going.

Time seemed to slow down for Dan. First his wrist was turned in such a way that he was sure it was broken. Katherine's eyes darkened and veins appeared beneath her chestnut hues. She quickly pushed him down on the ground. The hand that used to be on his now limp wrist was tight around his neck.

"You were going to be so useful, Dan. And you were pretty good in bed too. Such a shame." She smirked down at him before opening her mouth widely. Inside he saw long fangs. He tried to get away from her, but it was impossible. She had somehow pinned him in place and he wasn't entirely sure he really cared to know how a girl half his size could keep him pinned.

Although, the fact that she did happen to mention that he was good in bed was a nice little ego booster.

Yeah, too bad she plans on literally sucking the life out of you. I swear, sex is the only thing guys have on their mind.

Oh well. Back to the story.

Katherine dove into Dan's neck with practiced ease and began to drink eagerly. She kept him down on the ground with a hand to his chest, right above his heart. She could feel his heart beat starting to slow. The feeling was intoxicating to her. She would have continued if something hadn't knocked her off. Katherine grunted when she hit the ground and looked up at the intruder, only to smirk when she realized whom it was.

Damon Salvatore was above her with his hand tight around her neck. Maybe this could work out. Her original plan was to stay hidden and never let the brothers know that she was around, but this could also work.

"You were supposed to be dead," he said as he continued to look down at her in bewilderment. Katherine wasn't about to sit Damon down and explain to him exactly how she had escaped what would have been certain death for any other vampire. That wasn't a part of her new plan. Katherine chuckled darkly and tilted her head to the side.

"You're just as dumb and gullible as you were in 1864," she brushed the back of her hand across his cheek and chuckled darkly. "You got really hot in almost two centuries. But I gotta say," she paused and threw her ex-fling off of her, quickly straddling his lap. "You were better when you were under me." Katherine grinned and stood up, brushing dirt off of her skin-tight outfit. She unconsciously turned around to give a full frontal view of herself to Blair.

"Who are you?" asked her voice. Katherine looked up at the young doppleganger and for a minute, she actually felt bad for what she was going to go through. Only a minute of course. She chuckled again and flipped her thick curls over her shoulder.

"I see the Salvatore brothers have decided to keep you clueless. Shame. Maybe if they didn't, it would be a fair fight." The vampire shrugged and sped off in the direction she and Dan had originally came, leaving the dying boy to do just that in Blair's arms.

Dan had barely heard what was happening around him. The only thing he clearly heard was Blair's voice begging him not to die.

Dan wasn't sure what had just happened. Nothing was being processed because he was starting to lose the battle to stay alive.

Blair was terrified that Dan would die in her arms. She wasn't sure she could deal with something of that magnitude. She might have disliked Serena at that moment but she had to give the blonde some credit. She was able to deal with the dead druggie thing a lot better than Blair would've been able to.

The ambulance arrived quickly and was able to keep Dan alive. They allowed Blair to ride along. Of course, this only worked after she claimed she was his long time girlfriend. Now that was something that made her insides twitch just a little too violently.

That lie was what brought her to where she was now, sitting beside an unconscious Dan, wondering just when she would gather up the guts to call Jenny and tell her just where her brother was. She had been able to lie to the paramedics, claiming that it was an animal attack, but there was something about lying to Jenny, well really, it was more Rufus, that actually made her stop and question whether she should say the truth or not. She felt it was fair to them to know the truth, but Blair didn't even know the truth. How could she try to explain something she didn't understand?

Her thumb hovered over the call button when she sighed and looked over at Dan again.

"You're so not supposed to be this difficult, Humphrey."

"I bet he can say the same thing about you," said a deep, cocky voice. Blair's lips fell into a thin line as she looked up at Damon through the tops of his eyes, giving him the most dangerous look she could muster.

"You have a hell of a lot of nerve showing up here. You ran away like a coward when I needed you."

"Are you really going to play the damsel in distress card with me, right now?" he asked, raising a brow at her. Damon crossed his arms over his chest and leaned nonchalantly against the doorpost to Dan's room.

"I've only known you for a few months and you definitely don't need anyone to help you. You're a regular Scarlett O'Hara, just in the wrong time period." Damon waved her off and watched her. Blair's anger wasn't leaving from her face and he wasn't sure he would be able to get away from this.

"Who was that?" she asked firmly. Damon didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at her and took in her appearance completely. He knew that his brother didn't trust him around his girlfriend and would probably do anything to keep her safe. That meant that Blair was probably wearing vervain and wasn't even aware that she was. He sighed, defeated, knowing that he would have to explain himself, no matter how much he really didn't want to. Blair was a persistent bitch.

"That was Katherine."

Blair's dark eyes grew small in confusion.

"And who the hell is she? And why was she sucking Dan's neck?" she snapped.

Damon rolled his eyes. He thought she was less dense. He figured denial probably did that to a person. "Katherine isn't human," he said firmly.

"What do you mean?" Blair asked slowly. She wasn't sure she was ready for whatever Damon had to say, but again, she knew it was something she had to hear.

"She's a vampire."

There was a silence, a very long one containing Blair just staring at Damon. She was trying to gauge whether or not he was serious. Then her logical mind kicked in. It was absolutely impossible to be a vampire. That was a supernatural fantasy it wasn't real.

"Okay, now you've lost it. The only vampires I have heard of in the city are those goth psychos who think that drinking blood will turn them into the undead when really it only makes them gross and unsanitary."

She thought she was handling his nonsense well.

Too bad for her, it's not nonsense.

Blair not believing him, he quickly realized, wasn't going to be very helpful to his cause, or her safety. He'd known Katherine around the same time he'd known Natalie, and unlike Natalie, she didn't hide her true nature. She was just as devious as the older doppleganger, if not more, and her reappearance in New York didn't mean anything good.

"Blair, you believing would be really helpful right now," he said, his teeth grinding roughly against each other.

"You expect me to believe that Humphrey's date is a vampire?"

"How else do you explain Mr. Nearly Dead over there and his injuries?" he asked, motioning towards Dan, whom neither knew was very much awake. Dan had just decided to keep his eyes closed and see what happened and what he could find out. He was still rather weak from the blood lose. To him, it seemed like a plausible plan.

Plus, a good part of him was having a hard time believing anything that was happening in his hospital room, and if he just got some sort of explanation, maybe then he would be able to sleep well within the next decade.

"Next thing I know, you're going to tell me you and Stefan are vampires too."

"I'm really glad you're smart enough to figure that one out." Damon snapped back at her the second that she had something to say to him. Blair stared at him for a very long moment. Her brain was working at a million miles an hour to make some sense out of what he was saying and to further prove it wrong.

"Prove it," she said, a deadly tone crossing her lips. It made Damon's brow arch in slight shock. She was bold and he had to admire her for it.

"Are you serious?"

"When have you ever seen me kid around?"

Damon shrugged and took a deep breath, the smell of Dan's still open and slowly healing wound easily filling his nostrils. Blair watched Damon develop a look that she had never seen before.

She could only describe it as a certain sort of lust. It was different from the average lust one would feel for the flesh of another human. This was darker — It was blood lust. But again, she quickly reasoned, that was impossible. Her mind raced back and forth between what was impossible and what was happening in front of her.

_God damn it, I hate not being in control of my own thoughts._

"This isn't happening," she whispered. Damon licked his fangs and smirked at her.

"Welcome to my nightmare, Blair."

He slowly started to advance on the brunette, his body giving into the bloodlust and Dan thought it was probably a good time to say or do something. He owed Blair his life, he knew that much. The least he could do was distract Damon enough so that she could get away.

"I was a part of her plan," he said, his eyes popping open the moment his mouth started moving, shocking both Damon and Blair into paying attention to him.

"You're awake?" they asked in unison. Dan slowly sat up onto his elbows and nodded.

"For how long, Humphrey? I've been worried sick!" Blair screeched, smacking him on the arm.

"Ow! God, Waldorf, can't you at least try to be nice to the guy in the hospital bed?"

"Hey! Kids!" Damon snapped his fingers, trying to get their attention and stop their stupid squabbling. If there was one thing he wasn't, it was a babysitter.

"Can we focus? Mr. Bloodbag actually said something useful," Damon interjected. His face had returned back to normal and he was now focusing all of his energy on Dan, who seemed quite unamused by Damon's various nicknames for him but what could he do? He was the one stuck in the room with a demon and a vampire. If he wanted to make it out alive, he would have to deal.

"What do you mean you were a part of her plan?"

Dan took a deep breath and inched up so he was sitting straight up in bed. His hand came up to rub his neck, and he felt the bandage. The chill that accompanied the memory from several hours prior went through his body. The chill visible and quite frightening. Blair's throat pinched together at the sight of Dan being so deathly afraid.

"Before she went to town on my neck, she said that I was going to be so useful. I'm going to assume that meant that I was a part of whatever her plan was." Damon's eyes narrowed in thought. Why would Katherine need this guy as a part of her plan? Or better yet, what was her plan?

"What is he to you?" he asked Blair, pointing to Dan.

"My ex-best friends first big mistake after coming home from boarding school."

"Gee, thanks. I feel the love." Dan replied slowly, narrowing his eyes at Blair who just scoffed in disgust.

"So you two aren't even slightly friends?"

"No." Blair was quick with her answer.

As was Dan. "Never."

"Not in a million years."

"Not even if I was paid a million dollars every week for the rest of my life."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Damon said, annoyed with them alternating on how much they disliked one another. "You don't like each other. I get it. Now, what was your relationship with Katherine?"

Dan swallowed roughly, not liking the direction that this was going in.

"She was pretending to be a member of Blair's minions. And… She was… I mean, I don't think it was really working, but…"

"Spit it out, Humphrey!" Blair finally snapped.

"She was trying to make me fall in love with her. There! You happy?" he spat back, sitting back on the bed, already exhausted from what was going on around him.

Both Damon and Blair were quiet after Dan spoke. Neither knew exactly what to say, and both were thinking impossibly fast. Damon was trying to sort out a plan that would be worthy of being called a "Katherine plan" and Blair was trying to process everything that was going on around her.

"This is completely insane," she finally said. She shook her head, walking away from Dan's bed, her arms crossing over her chest. She was trying to keep herself from physically exploding.

"Get used to it," Damon said, glancing over at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Blair asked harshly.

"Katherine's plan has something to do with you and she always gets her way. So whether or not you like it, you haven't seen the last of her."

"Is that supposed to scare me?"

"If you're as smart as I think you are, it should terrify you." Blair stood straight as she watched Damon leave her and Dan alone in the room.

"He reminds me of Chuck," Dan said, breaking the excruciatingly long silence. She hated that he was saying what she was thinking.

"Shut up, Humphrey."

Blair went and did what she had to do after that conversation. She called Jenny and informed her of her brother's location and health status. She and Dan agreed to say that it was an animal attack and that Blair found him after looking for Damon. Based on the blast that had gone out minutes before Katherine attacked Dan, it was plausible enough.

Then she left his hospital room before any of the Humphrey's or Van der Woodsen's, (or anyone important) could come and see her there. She caught the taxi from Saint Joseph's and zoned out the entire ride. She just kept replaying the conversation where Damon told her that both he and Stefan were vampires over and over again.

Okay, so he might've not directly told her, but he was as direct as he could have been for the moment.

When the cab pulled up in front of her building, she swiped her credit card and pulled herself out. Her eyes instantly fell on the broad man who sat in the lobby with his elbows on his knees and his hands pressed against his face. Even if she could only see him from the back, it was obvious that Stefan was worried. Or, at least, she hoped he was worrying about her and not the Gossip Girl blast.

After taking a deep breath, she strode inside, and stopped when her heels told Stefan she had arrived. He looked exhausted, and he was. Holding up in a bathroom in a very weak, and anti-masculine attempt to avoid Serena van der Woodsen really took a lot out of a person, vampire or not.

When Stefan saw Blair however, his face lit up in relief and he quickly rushed over to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her.

"I was so worried about you," he whispered into her ear. He wasn't sure why she wasn't hugging him back and when he finally pulled away he saw the expression on Blair's face. It was indescribable and that was probably what worried him the most.

"What's wrong?"

"How old are you?" she asked suddenly and if Stefan could have been knocked on his ass by a question that would have done it. Why she was asking such a question, he didn't know. He knew Damon wasn't stupid enough to expose the both of them so why would she ask that?

"Seventeen," he lied easily.

"Tell me the truth."

"Blair, why are you asking me this?" he insisted.

"Because I want to know the truth and I know you're not giving me it right now. So I'm going to ask you one more time before I give up and never speak to you ever again. How old are you, Stefan Salvatore?"

Was Blair really going to give up and never speak to him again? Psht. Nope. This was Blair Cornelia Waldorf. She never gave up, even when she should.

The golden-haired vampire took a deep breath. He knew this day was going to come, but he wanted to be prepared for it, and he wanted both of them to be completely in love with one another. He thought that maybe then, she could have loved him enough to accept who he was, forgive him for lying, and be willing to join him in such a life. He would've done anything for Blair if she had chosen such a life. He'd felt such a strong connection to her that he thought surely, they were meant to be together, and she would accept him.

"A hundred and sixty one," he answered in a soft tone that no one around them could hear. Admitting his real age was dangerous. He knew that the city had far too many ears for him to be comfortable with.

How was one expected to keep a secret like vampirism when everyone listened in on your conversation? It was damn near impossible, but Stefan was going to do it. Even if it was the last thing he did.

Blair shook her head and backed away from Stefan.

"I'm done," she said clearly. She turned away from him and started walking towards the elevator that would bring her back to her apartment. All she wanted to do was curl up under her blankets and forget that the night even happened. It had gone on for far too long in her opinion.

"Blair, wait!" Stefan yelled after her, running to catch her. His hand took a hold of her arm and gently turned her around to face him. His face actually looked rather devastated, Blair noted.

"Wh— why are you doing this? I don't understand."

"I know your secret," she said simply. Stefan's head snapped back in a way as if someone had pushed his skull back with the heel of their hand.

"Seriously, Stefan, did you really think you could have kept dating me and never tell me your secret?" Blair was starting to lose control and that was something she wouldn't let happen. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

"Blair… I— I'm sorry I lied. I wanted things to be stronger between us before I told you that I was technically… Dead."

"Well, I can't handle you being dead. Or your brother. Or your little friend Katherine. I will not be a part of all of this," she hissed. Stefan's attention had been caught by one specific word.

"Did you just say Katherine?" he asked, narrowing his thick eyebrows at her.

"What is she another woman that you and Damon shared?" she snapped. "Because she seemed to know your brother in a rather intimate way." Blair's anger was bubbling beneath her skin, threatening to explode all over the lobby. "Maybe she liked you more than she did Damon and you already knew of her brilliant plan that for some reason that had to include Dan Humphrey of all people!"

Blair was irate and to Stefan, she was making absolutely no sense. Katherine had been no Natalie, but he knew the connection the Bulgarian temptress had to his ex. They had been partner's-in-crime. So if Katherine was alive and was brewing a plan, did that mean that Natalie wasn't far behind? Did that mean that she was actually alive? The idea that she was alive was simply daunting.

"Blair, I don't know what you're talking about but please calm down. Just talk to me, okay?" he begged.

"I'm done, Stefan. I know about your freaky secret. I actually liked you and to know that you lied to me when you knew…" Blair's voice cracked as she spoke. She was heartbroken in a way she didn't think she would be. She knew she hadn't fallen completely in love with Stefan, but she also knew she could have and that she was very much on the way to being in love with him. Now, it was all a horribly misconstrued lie. He was a vampire. How long would it be until he would have drained the life from her just as easily as Katherine had done earlier. Blair felt more used, abused, and mistreated than she ever had with Chuck or Nate. All of these thoughts continued to bubble up inside of her and it was getting very hard to stand and not cry.

Before the brunette turned to leave, she brought a strong slap across Stefan's face and went into the waiting elevator. Once the doors closed in front of her, she finally allowed the tears she had been fighting to fall down her cheeks. Of course, she had found a way to completely put herself back together once the doors opened up to her home and kept up the facade until she made it to her room. Blair gave a short farewell to Dorota, locked the door behind her, divested herself of her elegant dress and curled up under her thick silk blankets, not even caring that her black lace La Perla undergarments were still on.

Within moments of the darkness engulfing her, she was bawling again.

Meanwhile, Stefan stood, jaw slacked open in complete shock over what had just happened. He didn't even know what just happened! He was having a hard time grasping it all and holding onto it.

Katherine was in New York?

Blair knew that he was a vampire?

He and Blair were done?

It was all too much and he had to find out what was going on. If he worked on figuring out the whole story, he wouldn't have to concentrate on the most devastating part of the evening.

Stefan quickly turned and left the building. When he was sure no one was watching, he sped off back to his home and found Damon standing in the large sitting room, nursing a glass tumbler only half full of whiskey. The moment he saw the older vampire something in his head clicked and his fangs extended in a threatening manner. Not even five seconds later, the glass was shattered in pieces and Damon was on the ground with Stefan's hand tight around his throat.

"I guess you saw Blair," he chocked out, a completely unamused expression on his face. His brothers dramatics weren't something he really wanted to deal with.

"What did you do?" he growled. Damon rolled his eyes and pushed his brother off of him, sending him into the wall.

"I didn't do anything. _I_ was leaving the stupid party. _I_ was going to come back here and drink. But no! That stupid website had to make that stupid kid somehow aware that he was being lied to, and then I just _had_ to smell his blood! You know, I only came back to make your life miserable, and now that bitch is making mine miserable!"

As much as Stefan was having a hard time comprehending what his brother was telling him, or even understanding it, Damon was having that much harder of a time. It was hard to say that the only living connection to love of his life was alive, but it was quite obvious that she was. She was going to turn him early as a present for Natalie. She always said she understood his love. And she just laughed at him. He could feel his dead heart breaking apart in his chest. He just wanted the pain gone and it seemed that alcohol wasn't helping as much as it should.

Stefan was just staring at his brother as he spoke. So it was true? Katherine was really in New York?

"Why is she here?"

"How the hell do I know? All I know is that one minute there's some chick sucking this guy dry and the next minute I'm on top of her, pinning her to the ground and it's Katherine of all fucking people."

Damon walked over the glass shards, not caring that some lodged themselves in his expensive leather shoes as well as the equally expensive Persian carpet, and went to the small wet bar, making himself another drink. He nursed it for a long minute before turning back to his brother.

"She has some sort of plan," he finally said after the smoke seemingly cleared.

"What?"

"Katherine! The psychotic bitch has some plan." He turned completely to Stefan, his face contorted in a confused anger. He pointed at him. "And if you want to continue this stupid little pathetic human facade, you're going to do whatever I say and help me find out what it is."

"Why would I let you be in charge of this plan?"

"Because I'm the smarter brother," he ignored Stefan's scoff and continued, "who isn't going to let my petty emotions get in the way of taking down the bitch. She helped ruin our lives once and I won't let her do it again."

Stefan shook his head and stood, brushing the dust off of himself.

"You're wrong."

"What?" Damon nearly chocked on his whiskey.

"You're not going to be able to take her down."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know as well as I do how close Katherine and Natalie were. And you also know just as well as I do that if she's alive, there's a good chance that Natalie is as well. You cared for her but you loved Natalie and you still do. That's why you hate me so much, because she loved me and not you," he said, slowly approaching his brother.

"You've gone insane." Damon was on an edge. One that he could easily be pushed off of if Stefan cared to do so. "You should really stop drinking the champagne at all of those parties."

Stefan shook his head "No, you're wrong. You know I'm right but you don't want to admit it because admitting it would mean that you have emotions and that you let them in. And you don't want to kill Katherine because she's a lifeline to Natalie."

"Shut up, Stefan," he roared. They both fell silent for a long time. "You're wrong. Now are you going to help me kill the bitch or not?" Damon warned.

Stefan sighed. Maybe he was wrong about his brother? No. Damon was just being stubborn.

"I need to go lie down. I just got dumped because of Katherine. And honestly? It sucks." Stefan walked past his brother, up the stairs, and into his room, where he collapsed onto his bed and instantly fell asleep. The day had gone on for far too long.

He didn't even notice his phone buzz to signal a new text message come through. He really should've checked it. If he did, then he would've known that the whole world (or at least the greater part of Manhattan) now knew that him and Blair were no more.

However, there was one person who paid attention to that specific text message and made it her personal mission to get to Blair and speak to her. Who might that be? Not someone you would have expected, or at least not who I expected — Miss Bonnie Bennett.

Bonnie knew that Blair needed someone to be there for her. Something inside the witch's veins told her that the reasoning behind the break up had supernatural roots and Blair would never be able to talk about that sort of stuff to anyone but her. After all, who would believe her?

Bonnie knew the feeling full well. Being a witch and having only one person, who was also a supernatural being, knowing about her wasn't easy.

She knew that something big was going to happen that night, even before the party, and after seeing the blast, she knew that whatever it was, either happened already or was about to happen very soon.

"I'm sorry Miss Bonnie, but Miss Blair is not seeing anyone," Dorota apologized as Bonnie walked out of the elevator.

"Oh, Dorota," she said, pressing her lips together and walking towards the large staircase that lead to the upper level of the apartment. "Blair just called me and asked me to come over."

"I didn't hear her talk."

"She whispered."

Dorota was following Bonnie up the stairs as if she were a man who was trying to violate Blair. Bonnie felt a little weird truly. She and Blair had never been that close, but she couldn't shake the duty she had. Once they were finally outside Blair's bedroom, Bonnie put her hands on the maid's arms attempting to sedate the woman.

"Look, Blair just broke up with Stefan and she's really heartbroken. I think she thinks Serena is going to try to swoop in and grab him. She called me because I'm the only person out of her friends that she trusts. Give me a few minutes, maybe the rest of the night, and she'll be back to barking orders like never before."

Bonnie gave her the smallest and most confident smile she could. It was probably the biggest layer of bullshit she had ever given someone.

"Do you want I should bring up some of Miss Blair's favorite snacks?"

And it seemed to have worked.

"I don't think that's best. I have a few things in my bag that will help her." Bonnie patted her bag and nodded reassuringly.

"Okay. Just, if you can, please get Miss Blair to be a bit not so loud?" Bonnie sighed and tilted her head to the side, sending the silent signal to Dorota that attempting to do that was basically impossible. The maid nodded that she understood. There were just some things about Blair Waldorf that would never change, no matter what happened in her life.

The pudgy maid turned around and went back to whatever work she had been doing before Bonnie's sudden appearance and the witch let out a breath of relief. It was nice to know she could fool some people just as well as her Upper East Side friends could. Not that she was particularly proud of that talent, but it did obviously work to her advantage.

The brunette slowly inched inside Blair's room and tilted her head to the side at the massive lump of pillows and blankets that had become her bed. Her heart fell for Blair when she heard the girl sniffling. It was obvious that whatever happened between the brothers and Blair really hurt her. She slammed the door closed and the noises instantly stopped.

"Dorota! I thought I told you I didn't want to be bothered for the rest of the night!" said Blair in a cracking voice. Bonnie rolled her eyes and quietly locked the door.

"It's not Dorota, Blair." That was when the brunette's head popped out from the mass of comfortable bed dressings. Her face was puffed up and red with smears of make up from crying and Bonnie wondered just how long she had been in here, or just how hard she was actually crying.

"Bonnie? What are you doing here? And how did you get past Dorota? She's like a heinous bulldog when needed."

"Blair, I've been friends with you, Serena, and Caroline for years. I learned from the best on how to get around a maid." Blair pouted and rubbed the tears away from her face. She couldn't have Bonnie of all people seeing her like this. It just simply wasn't done. Blair reached into her nightstand to grab a mirror before groaning at her appearance and began dabbing away the runaway make up. Bonnie didn't wait for an invitation. Instead, she just went over to Blair's bed, whipped her messenger back off of her shoulder and placed it beside her. The pale girl's eyes followed the bag and pouted at it.

"It's a sad day when a horribly out of style bag such as that matches my sheets." Once more, Bonnie rolled her eyes.

"I see you're not completely out of it. That's good. We need to talk."

"Oh Bonnie, whatever it is, can't it wait until tomorrow? Or, I don't know, never?" she asked, falling back against her pillows. She pulled one on top of her face and soon reached under it with a tissue to dab her eyes again. The coffee-colored girl sighed and reached over, grabbing the pillow from her friends face.

"Sorry, Waldorf, it can't. Sit up, I need to show you something." Blair seemed to be set in a permanent pout as she sat up against her headboard and looked as Bonnie pulled a bag of pebbles and a small dish out of her bag. She wasn't sure why she was giving into Bonnie's whims so easily and not fighting against them. She quickly chalked it up to her being so mentally drained from the day that fighting was the last thing on her mind.

"What are you doing, Bennett?" she asked. Her voice gave way to her exhaustion, Bonnie noted. That was good. It meant less of a chance to get kicked out.

"I'm assuming you know about Damon and Stefan?" she asked her, raising a brow, and waiting for an answer. Blair straightened herself, not sure if she should act as if she knew what her quasi-friend was talking about.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on, Blair. I know you're not trying to pull one over on me." It was true, Bonnie was too clever most of the time and in Blair's weakened state, she really couldn't try and keep up the facade.

"Yeah, I do," she admitted.

"Well, they aren't the only ones who have a se—"

"Oh please don't tell me you're a vampire too," she groaned.

For some reason, a reason that Blair would have loved to know, she wasn't exactly afraid of vampires. Not even Katherine. She realized that was incredibly stupid but if she could handle Chuck Bass at his worse and not be afraid of him, she was pretty sure she could handle anything that could drain the life from someone else.

"No," Bonnie said shortly.

"Then what? A zombie?" Bonnie shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Zombies aren't real, Blair."

"OH! THOSE AREN'T REAL. GEE. THANKS FOR TELLING ME, BON," she said, very loudly, and very annoyed. Bonnie sighed and put her hands on Blair's flailing arms, attempting to pacify her.

"Blair, Blair, Blair. Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make it sound like that. Look, I felt the same way when I found out about the … other world."

"Other world? Really? You couldn't think of anything better?"

"Are you going to ever shut up? I'm trying to help you out here." Blair grumbled and put her head in her hand.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Okay, well, promise not to freak out, okay?"

"I just found out that my boyfriend, well ex-boyfriend now, is a hundred and sixty-one year-old vampire. Oh! And I met her one of Damon's many exes. When she had Dan Humphrey's blood dripping down her chin like it was gravy on Thanksgiving," she explained. "I doubt there is anything that could freak me out anymore."

Bonnie nodded and took a deep breath, putting her hands in her lap.

"I'm a witch."

Blair was quiet for a very long time, just staring at the girl across from her.

"Alright, Sabrina. Prove it." She gestured to Bonnie to do whatever it was she had to do. The witch raised a brow at her before pushing the rude words that sat on the edge of her tongue away and looked down at the small dish of pebbles. Blair took this as a hint to do the same. Her heavy lids almost closed as she waited for something to happen and when something did, she was sure it was just her imagination.

Blair licked her lips and sat up straight, rubbing the sleep and tiredness from her eyes. She swore what she saw was just a figment of her imagination, but it wasn't. Right in front of her was pebbles. Except, they weren't pebbles. They were feathers. It seemed as soon as the small pieces of stone left the dish, they turned into long, soft, white feathers. The feathers started to gracefully swirl around their heads and Blair laughed in absolute disbelief. Out of everything that had happened to her that night, this was by far the best.

It made her feel light, as light as a feather if you can allow me to be that cliche.

"This is unbelievable," she breathed, a smile pulling across her plump lips. She reached out to touch one of the feathers and it simply moved away before she could, as if she had changed its course in the world. Then, Blair started to laugh. It seemed as if everything was okay again. The feathers were strangely calming. It was as if within all of the horrible darkness that she just discovered, there was some brightness. Bonnie laughed at Blair's reaction.

"I told you."

"This is really incredible. How long have you known?" she asked, turning her attention back to Bonnie with an impossibly large smile.

"My grams always said I was a witch, but I didn't start to develop my powers until I was sixteen. Grams tutored me and here we are."

"This is amazing."

"A compliment from Blair Waldorf? Where is my tape recorder?" she said, smirking at her friend. She had always been sure that there was more to Blair than she let on, but never pushed it. She thought it was futile attempt, but in that moment? It seemed completely plausible.

"Is this what you needed to talk about?" Blair asked. The smile that the beautiful magic had placed on her face still wasn't gone. Bonnie shook her head.

"No. Not entirely. I need you tell me exactly what happened tonight. I know it's been a long night, but it's not over yet."

The feather!pebbles started to pool back into the dish and as they did, Blair's smile started to disappear. Reliving the night wasn't on her list of must do, but Bonnie seemed quite serious when she spoke.

"And this can't wait until tomorrow?" she asked, hoping that it could. She wasn't up to this.

"Blair, I need to know what's happening. You said yourself that this vampire has some sort of plan. I've looked through my family's grimoire an—"

"Wait, grimoire?"

"It is a book of spells."

"Oh." Blair retold Katherine's exact words that she'd said to Dan and Bonnie sat across from her, her lips pulled into a tight, thoughtful line.

"I'll have to do some research and see what any of us might have to do with anything," Bonnie said softly, putting the pebbles and dish away before pulling her family's grimoire out.

"Is that…" Blair trailed off, pointing at the old book.

"A grimoire? Yes. It's the Bennett one."

"It looks like you dug it up out of Central Park."

"Thanks," she said sarcastically. She was starting to like Blair, but when she made stupid comments like that, the "like" sort of feelings ended and the indifference began once more. Bonnie started flipping through the book, pressing her lips into a tighter line.

"What are you looking for?" Blair asked.

"I'm trying to see if maybe whoever this vampire is might have a Bennett witch working for her and might have written in this book about it."

"You can do that?"

"I don't know. That's what I'm looking for." She sighed and continued to flip. "Nothing."

"Witches would help out vampires?" she asked. "Is it some sort of supernatural loyalty thing?"

"Actually, witches are supposed to be servants of nature. We're supposed to keep the balance in the world and helping out a vampire would be the direct opposite of that. We're supposed to protect the innocent and vulnerable." Blair's lips twisted together. That sort of title didn't sit well in her head.

"I'm not vulnerable."

Bonnie sighed. Blair was definitely exhausting.

"I never said you were. But you would be considered the "innocent" and you need to be protected."

There was something Bonnie wasn't mentioning, and she wasn't sure that she should've mentioned it. After all, this had been an insanely long night for Blair and she was sure if she got any more information, she would explode.

"Look, it's been a really long day. Do you want to talk about the break up? I know how much you like talking about yourself." Bonnie smiled at Blair and poked her knee. Blair couldn't help but smile. Bonnie was right, she did enjoy the attention on her. It was a nice change from being on Serena.

"I guess." Blair told Bonnie the whole story of what had happened that night, from chasing after Damon to breaking up with Stefan and everything in between. It was strange, Blair mentally noted, that Bonnie seemed so worried about Dan when his part of the story was mentioned.

"I'm human and care about others, Blair," she offered as an excuse, but she wasn't sure if Blair bought it. This, of course, didn't stop her from continuing her story. Once she did finish it, she let out a deep breath and pressed her lips into a fine line.

"Wow. And he didn't even try to really explain?" Bonnie asked, tilting her head to the side.

"I guess I really didn't give him much of a chance, but I was so angry. Could you really blame me?" Bonnie shrugged and gathered up her things, shoving them back into her bag.

"I guess not. But I do know that you need your rest, as do I. So how about you actually go to bed and I'll head home." Bonnie gave her a curt nod and swung her bag back over her shoulder. Blair sat on her bed, looking at the girl that she never felt closer to and thought for a long moment. She glanced at the clock. Somehow, it had become two in the morning and she wasn't sure how. There was one thing she was sure of, no one should be on the streets of Manhattan at two in the morning by themselves.

"How about you stay over," she offered suddenly, something that shocked both girls.

"Are you sure?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't have anything to do tomorrow," Blair started. "We don't have school and when you do finally go home, you can borrow something from Blairingdales." Blair smiled and shifted over in her bed, patting the spot next to her for Bonnie.

"Blairingdales?" she asked, laughing.

"Hey, I'm being nice. Accept a corny joke every now and again." Bonnie laughed again and nodded.

"I guess I can do that."

The girls remained in a comfortable silence as Bonnie put her things away before Blair finally piped up.

"Hey, Bonnie. How did you know that I knew about Stefan and Damon?" Bonnie bit her bottom lip at her friends question before turning to look at her.

"Honestly? I can't really explain it. It was just sort of… A feeling."

"A feeling?"

"Witches sometimes get these feelings. Almost like premonitions. I've gotten a couple really small ones but tonight? It was the strongest I've ever felt." Bonnie sighed and sat back down on Blair's bed, giving her a look that Blair had never seen Bonnie give anyone. She looked sad. "My ancestors want me to look after you for some reason. You're very special to them."

"You think I'm in serious danger?" she asked quietly. Bonnie replied with a small nod before reaching out and taking Blair's hand, squeezing it in an attempt to comfort the girl.

"Don't worry. I'll protect you. No matter what," Bonnie promised, squeezing her friend's hand once again.


	7. childhood tragedies

Blair Waldorf and Bonnie Bennett spent the rest of their weekend cooped up in Blair's room eating multi-colored macaroons, imported from France, drinking hot chocolate, imported from Sweden, and watching any and all movies they could find on Netflix that had to do with magic. Thankfully, Bonnie's father, Joseph, found time away from his all consuming job as Manhattan's top accountant to bring Bonnie her Constance uniform Sunday night so that the girls could spend yet another night together.

The girls had made a vow that they wouldn't answer any text messages or phone calls that weekend — aside from Bonnie informing her father where she was of course. They hardly paid attention to the Gossip Girl blasts that had been sent out that weekend.

By the time Monday rolled around, each felt fresh and renewed.

Unfortunately, poor Caroline was extremely confused about the weekend's events. She hadn't been able to make an appearance at Eleanor's release party, despite being invited. She had caught a cold when she and Nate had snuck away to his cabin in Upstate New York to practice game shooting.

Yes, Caroline Forbes knew how to shoot a gun. She was the daughter of the Chief of Police after all, and she was a rather multitalented girl. You just had to look past her neurotic behavior to find her other talents.

Anyway, as she laid sick in bed, the only entertainment she'd gotten was Gossip Girl. When she saw the blasts about Blair and Damon dancing to no music, her break up with Stefan and news of Dan Humphrey in the hospital, she was a little bit more than confused. Fairly reasonable reaction, I suppose.

She'd made a few vain attempts to contact her Commander-in-Chief to no avail. She stood beneath the thick iron arch of Constance Billard, tapping her foot impatiently against the concrete. Blonde hair pounced from side to side as she continued to await Blair's arrival.

Familiar brown curls rounded the corner, followed by another set. The sight of Blair and Bonnie walking happily down Fifth Avenue was probably the strangest thing she'd ever seen. And she'd seen Human Centipede!

"What the hell…" she mumbled, watching the two girls walk arm in arm towards her. They finally stopped in front of Caroline, laughs on their lips.

"Hey Care," Bonnie said.

"Morning, C!" Blair piped up after her.

"You two seem… chummy," Caroline greeted cautiously. Her confusion seemed to bubble quickly. Her emotions always sort of did that. If she could help it, she might have decided to do so, but she never cared to try. Unlike other Upper East Side Princesses, Caroline liked to let her emotions flow out quickly. This was one of those times.

"I mean, neither of you even bothered to answer your phones all weekend. Where were you two?!" Caroline was freaking out to say the least. Not only because of what was happening in front of her, in all of it's unnaturalness, but because she hated being out of contact with people. It made her feel alone and vulnerable, two things that Caroline refused to ever be.

Blair and Bonnie both seemed rather taken back by their friend's sudden outburst. They didn't realize not being in contact with the outside world for a weekend would cause such an uproar.

Okay, so Blair realized it. But, that wasn't going to stop her from taking the weekend to cut herself off.

"We were taking a weekend off, Care. I figured Blair needed it after her break up with Stefan," Bonnie offered, attempting to pacify her high-strung friend. Too bad that wasn't working. Caroline was visibly shaking with anger and confusion.

"Why wasn't I called?" she roared. People were starting to stare and Blair noticed a few cell phones already being pulled from their resting places. She was not about to start off her day being a headline on Gossip Girl. Not this way, anyway. Blair slid in between the girls, her face taking on a stern expression.

"You weren't called because you weren't needed at the time. And that's the end of it. Got it, C?" she asked, locking gazes with the blonde. Caroline had been mentally fighting with Blair for the top spot since she was five. But she stepped back and nodded. Bonnie shifted her weight between her feet. She had never been too comfortable with confrontation.

"Right. Well, are you okay?" she asked, her light and playful tone slowly coming back to her shiny pink lips. Blair's shoulders relaxed.

"I'm fine now. Thanks, C." Caroline returned the easy smile that Blair had given her, with some difficulty. Something was off. She knew it, and she didn't like that she wasn't included in it. One of the reasons that Caroline coveted her spot next to Blair so much was because she couldn't stand to be on the outside of something. At that moment? Obviously, that was all she was. She silently vowed that she'd never get sick again.

Without another word, the trio fell into their normal formation, Caroline on Blair's right and Bonnie on her left, as they strode into school.

"Have you heard anything about Dan?" Bonnie asked, looking over at Caroline. The blonde noticed Blair give Bonnie a "What Do You Care?" kind of look, to which she responded with a "You Know Why I Care" look. All of which Caroline knew there was a hidden meaning for. It was all way too weird!

Yup. She was definitely never getting sick again. She obviously missed way too much.

"I'd have to ask Jenny, but she's not in school yet. I guess she's visiting him at the hospital." Her attention moved from Bonnie to Blair. "I can't believe you found him after the animal attack. People are saying that it's some escaped animal from the zoo. I keep hearing that it's a mountain lion, and then I hear a cougar. Did you see what it was?" Her voice was teetering on the edge of excitement, ready to gobble up any fresh news she was given.

"A mountain lion and a cougar are the same thing," Blair answered, annoyed.

"Oh."

"And to answer your question, no, I didn't see what attacked Humphrey. I just heard him crying in agony."

"I guess chasing after Damon was actually helpful," Caroline mused as she rested herself against the stone pillar that stood between two clusters of full-length glossy birch wood lockers… Just as she always did. Blair popped her locker open after giving the blonde a rather icy "Watch What You Say Blondie" stare.

"Right. Well, um, we have a new teacher!" she added, feeling that was at least a safe bit of news.

"A new teacher? For what class?" Bonnie inquired, digging into her own locker that sat right beside Blair's, a fact that she'd always been irrationally jealous of.

"AP Euro apparently. From what I heard Miss Richardson and Mister Campbell ran away together, so they hired a new guy to take over both classes."

"Both classes?" Blair asked. "You mean he's teaching for both Constance and St. Jude's? Are we suddenly running low on donations?"

Caroline opened her mouth to say something witty, or at least she thought it would have been witty, but was cut off. "Hey, wait. Isn't there an AP Euro class at St. Jude's the same time as ours?" asked Bonnie.

"Yeah, Nate's," Caroline finally chirped in.

Wait, Nate is in an AP class? Man, Archibald money really will buy you anything, won't it?

Blair groaned. "And Stefan's. I swear, if I have to have a class with him now, I might just jump off the Devil bridge." This "new" bridge confused Caroline.

Sensing the blonde's confusion, and wanting to satisfy her own, Bonnie spoke. "Don't you mean the Williamsburg bridge?"

"It leads into Brooklyn. That makes it the devil." With a light slam, the trio were off again, and this time to this new AP European History class. They walked in silence with their shoulders pulled back and their noses high in the air. Whenever Blair and her minions walked down the halls crowds parted. No one wanted to suffer the wrath of Blair Waldorf. Jumping into that line of fire sometimes meant actual suicide.

It didn't take long for each of them to get comfortable in their normal seats or to figure out if there was going to be a new way of life at the normally segregated schools. Out of the corner of Caroline's eyes, she watched Nate saunter in with his signature cute-and-popular-lacrosse-guy smile. Her heart sped up just a bit when the Golden Boy of St. Jude's slid into the desk next to her.

She didn't even take the time to tell her heart to stop doing something so weird and stupid.

That seems like a sign to me. What about you?

"Hey, Care," he whispered to her, shifting in his seat to rest his body weight on his strong forearms. "What are you doing in my history class? I didn't think they let blondes into AP courses," he teased.

"Then how did you get in?"

"Har, har. Very funny, Forbes." Nate grinned, as did Caroline.

"I thought it was."

Caroline and Nate's relationship was always one that Caroline was never completely satisfied with. It always felt like something was either missing between them or something just wasn't being said. It sometimes made for some very awkward movie nights and family get togethers, but the pair always brushed it off. How could they explain something that they didn't understand?

Blair rolled her eyes at the overheard exchange and turned towards Bonnie. Her mouth opened to make a comment about what was going on beside her when a familiar set of broad shoulders entered the room. A breath caught in her throat as Stefan slipped in between her and Bonnie, taking up the seat right behind Blair. Obviously, he wasn't about to give up on them, no matter how much she might have wanted him to.

Each party opened up their mouths to say something but were interrupted when none other than Tyler Lockwood slid into the seat behind the Bennett witch.

And trust me, he was not happy that Stefan had taken the seat he believed that he should have been occupying.

But never mind that. On with the story.

"Hey, you two," Tyler greeted Blair and Bonnie, completely ignoring Stefan. "You dropped off the grid after Eleanor's party." The two girls shared a look, each as devious was the other.

"I didn't miss a pillow fight, did I?" he asked, his dark brows dancing on his forehead suggestively.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Blair replied, her own smirk playing on her full lips.

Tyler was about to respond when the bell signaling the beginning of classes sounded and the door closed. Blair assumed it meant that the teacher had finally arrived. She gave her friend a fleeting smile before turning back in her seat to watch the handsome back (what was with all the new hot backs this semester?) write his name on the board.

"Ric?" Blair heard Nate question softly. She turned in her spot to glance her ex-boyfriend's way.

"What?" Caroline hissed. Nate leaned in to whisper back to her.

"I think that guy is a friend of my dad's. Like from Dartmouth." Blair glanced back at the new teacher and noticed that he seemed way too young to be a friend of Howard "The Captain" Archibald. The Captain was in his mid-to-late forties and this new teacher couldn't have been older than thirty-five, if that.

_This will definitely be a class that I won't be missing. Not if he's teaching it._

Blair's lips curled into a natural flirtatious smirk. She couldn't control the expression and it usually got her in trouble. But what was life without a little trouble right?

I always knew Blair was secretly my favorite.

"Uh, hey guys!" said the new teacher. He clapped his hands and rubbed them together nervously. He turned cautiously to the dry erase board behind him and gestured to it.

It said ALARIC SALTZMAN in wide red letters.

"That is my name. I know it's a mouthful so, I'd be totally fine if you called me Mr. S." Mr. Saltzman looked like he was uncomfortable with even that amount of formality. He moved to lean against his desk, crossing his legs at his ankles. "But unfortunately, if you see the Headmistress or Headmaster around, you're going to have to call me Mr. Saltzman." He leaned forward then and dropped his voice just a tad. "Personally, I'd rather you all call me Ric, but I think we all know that isn't going to happen." He backed off and started laughing. Obviously, no one laughed with him.

Talk about awkward.

Mr. Saltzman cleared his throat and backed off. "Well, let's get started shall we!" he exclaimed, before delving into his lesson plan of the day.

Time seemed to fly by as Mr. Saltzman spoke and wove his hands around to explain a subject he clearly had a deep love for. He was visibly shocked when the bell signaling the end of the class. Blair gathered up her books to head towards her next class. So far, she'd effectively avoided speaking to Stefan, but not from his lack of trying.

"Err, Miss Waldorf!" called Mr. Saltzman. She looked up and saw him looking at the seating chart he had made at the beginning of class. Apparently, he needed help remembering names. Poor guy. "Can you hang back for a second?" Blair glanced to the door to find Bonnie and Caroline waiting patiently, as they normally would. She shooed them away.

"I'll see you guys later." The girls took their cue and left Blair alone with the rather attractive new teacher. He blew a small stream of air between his teeth.

"You, uh, sure have some pull around here, huh?" he observed, turning his dark hazel eyes onto Blair. Her body straightened out proudly.

"I learned from my mother how to grab attention and power from others. I guess you could say it's in my blood." Blair's smile beamed with pride, earning a laugh from her new teacher. She hardly even twitched at the mention of the word 'blood.'

"I guess I came to the right person then." Blair's face became smaller from interest and a bit of confusion.

"And I guess I really don't know what you're talking about. A rare feat, I promise you."

"Fair enough. I just meant that I had heard you were the one to talk to about Manhattan's history. That you understood it in a certain way," he offered, waiting for Blair to understand even the slightest bit what he meant.

"Well, my mother is the head of the Historical division of the Rising Horizons Foundation," Blair boasted proudly. "So yes, I do know a thing or two about the city's history. Or at least, I'd be able to find it out."

"That's fantastic! Do you think there's any way I can get a chance to sit down with your mom and speak with her?" he asked, his face a little bit too hopeful for her taste.

"Answer something for me first. I heard that you knew the Archibalds? How?"

"Oh, The Captain and I go way back. He was a mentor of mine back at Dartmouth," he explained easily. Blair shifted a little uncomfortably. Something just didn't sit right with the whole idea. But then again, she wasn't able to find a lot that sat well with her since Friday, so who was she to question it?

Her mind thought on just what her mother might have for a young and over-enthusiastic teacher in terms of conversation. Her gaze dropped to the very large and gaudy ring that sat on his right ring finger. She thought that if he was going to meet with her mother, he'd definitely have to make sure he got rid of that ghastly thing.

"My mother is a very busy woman. She runs her own fashion line, you know, so I'll see what I can do. But if I mention that you're an old college friend of The Captain, you might have better luck." _Better luck if hell froze over,_ she thought to herself.

They shared an uneasy nod of agreement.

"Well, I really need to be getting to my next class," she said, inching towards the door. Mr. Saltzman nodded and started rummaging through his desk for a pad of paper.

"Let me just write you a note so you won't get in trouble." His attention was solely on the contents of his desk drawer, so Blair felt it was a good time to make her escape.

"It's okay, Mr. Saltzman. I'm Blair Waldorf. I don't get in trouble." She gave him a final wink before dashing out of the door.

Alaric sighed as he watched the flash of brown curls dash away from the window in the door. He sighed and pulled his cell phone from his pocket before flipping it open. On the front screen was an old picture (only about four years old) of him and a beautiful young woman embracing and smiling up at the camera phone.

Remarkably enough, the girl looked as if she could have been related to Blair. Perhaps her aunt even.

He and this girl looked fresh and young and happy. Now that was all a distant memory, but it was what fueled Alaric in his quest.

If only I could explain more. Sadly, for you, I can't. Don't worry, you'll survive.

Blair flipped her hair to one side. She started to head towards the large front arch of the campus with Caroline and Bonnie by her side. According to Caroline, Jenny had contacted her and Dan was supposedly leaving the hospital that night and would be sleeping in her own bed.

It was odd, but Blair actually felt a rush of relief at the news. It was definitely an odd feeling for her to actually care for another persons well being, especially Dan Humphrey's of all people. She then turned towards her friends, taking a deep breath.

"I gotta head back home and get ready for the weekly Archibald-Forbes dinner," Caroline offered. She pressed her books against her chest and turned around, practically skipping down the street away from them. Blair and Bonnie watched for a few moments before either said anything.

"She doesn't look good skipping. She should stop," Blair observed.

Bonnie looked over at her friend and pouted a bit. "Oh, come on! It's kind of sweet. It's like we're in third grade again." Blair rolled her eyes at the witch, and started to head down the street.

"Blair! Blair!" A voice called after her and Bonnie. It was Stefan. She knew it was Stefan, and she didn't want to deal with whatever it was he wanted to talk about. She had better things to do that afternoon. "I need to talk to you!" Bonnie gave Blair a nervous look. Blair easily ignored the vampire behind them.

Then, without a moments warning, Stefan appeared out of no where in front of them. Both girls gasped and jumped in shock.

"Blair, please," he begged.

"Jesus Christ, Stefan! Can't you warn a girl before you do that whole vampire sneak attack thing?"

"Must you speak about the supernatural so openly?" Bonnie hissed. Blairs lips pulled into an apologetic pout and glanced at her friend.

"Sorry, Bon." She paused, and then looked back at the younger vampire. "What do you want Stefan?"

"He wants to go on a little field trip." A new voice said from behind Stefan. Stefan did not bother to turn around to the voice of his brother.

"Ew! What are you doing here?" Blair exclaimed as her dark gaze narrowed on the raven-haired vampire.

"I'm the driver." He smirked. "Plus, I have more experience driving in the city." Damon started to saunter over towards the rest of the group.

"There is no way in hell that I'm going anywhere with either of you." Blair had spent the entire weekend getting over Stefan and getting away from the pain in the ass that was Damon. She wasn't about to go on a day trip with the both of them. Talk about going back to the drawing board.

"Please Blair. Just let us explain who we are. Explain our past." Stefan very much looked like he was ready to get down onto his hands and knees and start begging for Blair to come with them, but she just couldn't. Her heart literally ached every time she said no to her most recent ex.

"I know who you are and I don't care to know anymore!" Damon had enough of all of the nonsense. If he was going to do all of this crap, he wanted to get on the road already. He took another step into the group.

"Alright, this is getting really annoying. Can I just compel her already?" His words spoke towards Stefan but his eyes never left Blair. Her gaze hardened as his smirk grew.

_This bastard is enjoying this!_

"Try and you'll regret it, Salvatore." Bonnie suddenly appeared in front of Blair. She could tell from the girls stance that she was preparing for a fight and was making sure that Blair never had to deal with anything. It was rather impressive and flattering to Blair. Maybe she'd been wrong about Bonnie all of these years. Maybe she was the most loyal of all.

"Oh great. Blair has some fake protection. Weren't you oh so attracted to me the other day?"

She could sense Bonnie's body tensing up. It was strange that she was so ready to see Bonnie unleash her witchy side. Magic seemed to be the only part of the supernatural that Blair actually appreciated. It seemed to be the only super-sort of thing that she approved of. But it seemed that wouldn't happen. At least not yet. Stefan stepped between the feuding pair.

"There will be no compelling. I made sure that Blair could never be compelled." As if to make sure of that, Stefan glanced at Blair's neckline. She'd forgotten that she was still wearing the same necklace that he'd given her. His gaze met hers, the corner of his eyes turning downwards, his voice lowering to speak to her once more. "Please, Blair. Just come with us. We'll have you back by nightfall."

Blair paused. She hated being lied to but she hated not knowing things more. Maybe if she actually went and listened to them, she'd be able to pick out the truth from any lies they might tell again. Or maybe she'd be able to get the truth out of them if she had a witness… Another set of judgey eyes…

"Fine. But only if Bonnie comes along." Her stance was firm, both figuratively and literally.

"No way in hell!" Damon exclaimed. His bright eyes blazed a fierce and dangerous sort of blue, once Blair hadn't seen since the precious Friday. "There are already way too many people on this field trip as far as I'm concerned. I'm not about to babysit Witchy McWitcherson over here."

"Say that a little louder, Salvatore. Go ahead," Bonnie snapped. "I would love to be exposed, wouldn't you?"

Stefan turned on his brother. "Damon! Stop it." He turned back to Blair, the same soft expression on his face. "Please Blair. Just trust me?"

"I did, and look where that got me?"

"It got you closer to staying alive. Now come on! We're burning daylight!" Damon turned back towards the car, completely done with the conversation. It didn't matter to him if Blair came along or not. As far as he was concerned, if they didn't go, that just meant he'd be able to get dinner sooner.

"Please Blair? I promise we'll keep you safe. Even Bonnie can tell you that it will be fine. Right?" His deep hazel eyes glanced towards the witch. It was something Blair didn't even notice.

"Don't drag Bonn—"

"He's right, Blair."

Well, that was unexpected.

She turned towards the dark-skinned witch, obviously confused with her friends decision. "Bonnie? What do you mean?"

"I can just tell. He'll protect you if anything happens. It'll be fine, Blair. Just call me when you get back okay?" Blair nodded as Bonnie turned away from her and Stefan and started walking home. She sighed, turning in her spot to find Damon watching with a very odd expression painted onto his sharp features.

She couldn't really place it easily. It did take a long moment for her to figure out just what it meant.

It was remorse.

"Come on, kids," he said, sliding into the driver's seat. "Like I said, we're burning daylight." The slightest growl left Blair's lips as she passed by Stefan. Their eyes met for a moment and a moment alone. Anything longer, and Blair swore, her chest would have exploded.

It didn't take long after that for everyone to get settled in the car. After the faint buckling noise struck Damon's hyperactive ears he darted off down the crowded busy street.

A half hour after school ended, Nate Archibald strode up in front of his family's large brownstone. The day had started out with his AP History class joining with the class from Constance, that was taught by none other than Alaric Saltzman. And now it was ending with his getting ready for the weekly Archibald-Forbes dinner. He just hoped that his parents and Caroline's mother bailed out again. He kind of liked that he and his best friend were able to catch up in a way that they never seemed to be able to do other times.

After a load of jingling of the few keys he had, Nate finally found the one for his home and turned it inside it's hole. He didn't have to do much to get ready for that evening, but he definitely had important things to do…

"I don't understand why you didn't come to me. You know that I can help you, Howard," begged an annoyed voice.

"You were in Boston the last time we spoke to you. How were we supposed to know that you would be willing to relocate." His mother replied. Nate narrowed his bright eyes. That was the strangest thing he'd ever heard. He started to inch his way into the house. He carefully closed the door behind him, closing it in a way to not make a sound. Nate knew that his father's hearing wasn't what it used to be, but if the voice was who he thought it was, he couldn't risk being caught, not when there was such an odd conversation going on.

It took longer than he would have liked to reach his father's office, but once he peeked inside, he went wide-eyed at the scene in front of him.

His mother, father, and none other than Alaric Saltzman were sitting inside of his father's plush and ornate office. Rather, his parents were sitting calmly, and Mr. Saltzman was standing over the desk, vocally pushing his way into something. His hands were balled into fists, pressing hard into the oak desk. Nate didn't know what they were talking about, but he did know that this wasn't the first time he'd caught his parents having secret conversations. Each time they would sensed his presence, they'd immediately clam up. And then every time he'd approach the strange behavior, his mother and father would change the subject to something more "appropriate" for his presence.

Needless to say, he was a bit frustrated.

"The Foundation doesn't like surprises, Ric," said his father.

The Foundation? Surely he couldn't mean…

That was the last straw. He was tired of being clueless. He had always been kept in the dark, but no more. There was something going on, and Nate Archibald was no longer going to be tossed to the side about it. The seventeen-year-old slid into the office doorway. His spine was pulled straight by an invisible string, while an invisible hand pushed his chest out.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked calmly. Suddenly, Howard and Anne Archibald were on their feet. Anne was at the door first.

"Nate, what are you doing home so soon?" she asked, pulling the door closed behind her.

"Forget about that. What is Ric doing here and why are you guys talking about The Foundation like it's the fucking Mafia?" he hissed back. His mother was a bit taken back by her son's word choice, but didn't dwell on it. The moment her mouth opened, as if on cue, his father's voice appeared.

"Anne, stop. I think it's time for him to learn the truth." Anne's face immediately contorted into one of anger and refusal. She stepped back inside the office.

"He's not old enough, Howard!" she argued.

"You know the code, Anne. Once you hit sixteen, it's time to start training. He's a year behind and I'd rather he not be any further behind with the problems that are developing."

"The Foundation wouldn't have it!"

"I don't care what The Foundation cares for!" Howard roared. Nate heard chair legs scrape violently across the floor before his father's outburst. "He is my son, and I will have him prepared for what is coming."

Nate's face screwed up in confusion. "What _is_ coming?" he repeated. A long moment passed. The door finally opened with his mother's disapproving expression clear on her face.

"Come in, Nathaniel," his father called, motioning for him to come inside the office. Nate walked inside the room only to hear the door close behind him. At the same moment the hairs on the back of his neck sprung up anxiously. There was something big kept from him and now he was finally about to find out what it was.

"Sit down." Nate did as he was told.

No one spoke for a long time. Minutes stretched on and felt like hours.

"Nathaniel, I have never lied to you, correct?" asked his father. Truthfully, he had to wonder about that. Obviously, he'd been hiding something and something big.

"Apart from whatever it is you're hiding from me now? I don't recall." Nate was stiff in his seat. His father shifted in his own office chair.

"This isn't a time to be fresh," his mother warned.

"This is going to sound a little insane. So I want you to listen and listen well. What I'm about to tell you is a familial secret — Both Archibald and Van der bilt. It's a dangerous business, but it's a family one. No matter what you do, make sure you keep it to yourself."

Now this was getting a little ridiculous, Nate thought.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who's getting annoyed at this slow progression.

"Dad, what are you talking about? Are we a part of the Mafia or something?" The Captain laughed and Nate felt a new anger rage inside of him. How could his father laugh about something that seemed so incredibly important? Who was he to laugh at his own son's question as if it was something childish and stupid and naive?

"No, no, Nate." His laughing subsided and his serious expression returned to his features. "I'm afraid that it's much more dangerous than that."

"Then what is it? This is getting annoying! I have to get ready for the dinner that you and mom always get yourselves out of." Nate stood.

"Nate," said Alaric. Nate had all but forgotten that his father's young mentoree was still in the room. The thirty-something man put his hand on Nate's shoulder, in a way to soothe him. "I know that this all seems really weird and whacked out, but your parents really have something important to tell you. Will you please just sit and listen? I promise it'll be worth it."

After taking another deep breath to calm his temper, something that had always been short with his father since he found out about The Captain's "nasal" issue.

Sniff sniff, snort snort, Nathaniel!

"Fine. Just say it, already," he said lamely.

Howard took a deep breath, pressed his lips together, and then with one last fleeting look to his obviously worried wife, who seemed to be clutching her old string of pearls as if her life depended on it, dove into the deep end. "You are the next, in a very long line of hunters."

"Hunters?"

"Yes, Nate," his mother said, taking a seat beside him and taking his hand gently into her own.

"You mean, game hunters?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not, son," The Captain started. "For centuries, the Archibald's and the Van der bilt's have hunted supernatural creatures to make sure that they don't harm innocent people." He decided it was a good idea to let his son sit and think on his words.

"You're snorting cocaine again, aren't you?" Nate accused. He ripped his hand from his mother's grasp and started to back away from the room. "And what? Did you get mom hooked too? And was Ric always your pusher? Is that how you met him?" When Nate looked back on this conversation, he would admit that he sounded paranoid, as if he did much worse than the occasional joint he shared with Tyler and Chuck. After the mania he went through with his father's habit the year prior, could he really be blamed? "Oh wait, no, let me guess. You met him at some hunting convention?"

When he was done with his rant, Nate finally took a strong look around the room. His mother looked devastated. It was as if everything she'd ever worked for was falling down around her because of her son's words. His father, looked pained, like he wanted to tell Nate that this was all some huge sick joke, but couldn't. And Alaric? Well, he just looked uncomfortable with the whole situation, like his presence was an intrusion.

_Oh god. He can't be serious._

"You really mean it don't you? Our family… They-they hunt fairy tales?" Nate's throat felt tight, as if the invisible hand that had given him physical confidence was not trying to suffocate him.

"Not fairy tales, Nate." The Captain folded his hands on his desk.

"What then?"

"Vampires," Alaric said clearly. There was no hesitation in his voice. It never wavered. They were all deadly serious about the situation. Slowly, Nate's strong lacrosse arms crossed over his toned chest. His jaw locked as his mind tried to sort out the first question it wanted to send to his lips. His normally ocean colored hues turned a dangerous shade, as if the body of water in his eyes was being stormed upon. They fell upon Alaric. He was the one thing that really didn't make sense about everything. If his family was a bunch of vampire hunting freaks, what did Ric have to do with it?

"So I'm guessing my dad really wasn't your mentor at Dartmouth?" Nate spat towards the man he'd always seen as an older brother of sorts. One that he wasn't related to and one, if he had his own means that wasn't connected to his family, he could go to and would be able to take a safe haven from.

"No, he was. But not in history."

"In hunting. Vampire hunting," guessed Nate. His mouth had a hard time forming the word 'vampire'. It was unnatural to say if he wasn't talking about the Twilight crap that always floated around. Vampires themselves didn't seem natural to him. Alaric nodded in response to Nate.

The Golden Boy of the Upper East Side strode back to the chair he'd been offered when he was first brought into the room and sat down. He couldn't believe he was about to say what was going to come out of her mouth, but something kept scratching at the back of his mind and telling him that he needed to know all he could.

"Tell me everything. No more lies, no more half-truths. Tell me everything, or I'm leaving."

Wow, for once in his life, Nate Archibald actually seems determined to do something well. Too bad for him, that talk would take much, much, _much_ , longer than he ever could have anticipated.

For some reason, that night felt different to Caroline. She already knew that her mother would be skipping out on the dinner that had originally been her idea so long ago and she had a good feeling that Mr. and Mrs. Archibald would probably be ditching as well. It would just be her and Nate for the evening. Again. The blonde decided that these little pieces of information all lined up in this specific way because the universe was telling her to test both herself, and her best friend.

She finally finished setting up the recently delivered Chinese food and scampered up to her bedroom to get dressed for the evening. Caroline's plan was simple. She'd set up a somewhat romantic dinner for the pair of them, dressed nicer than she normally would for the dinner (as in not in a t-shirt and lounging around pants) and gauge Nate's reaction. Based on his reaction, she'd figure out just what her reaction was. Did he swoon but she didn't get butterflies? Did he seem confused and did she feel like a lead brick sunk her stomach?

A lot was riding on this particular dinner, she decided. From there, she'd be able to figure out just what was going on in her head. It all felt jumbled and clouded whenever she was around Nate. In particular, she noticed that she'd hardly retained her new teacher's name because Nate was in the class with her. Was it Mr. Smith? Mr. Weismann? No, that was a trophy…

Saltzman, Caroline. Saltzman.

None of that mattered to her now. What did matter was getting dressed and ready for her possible Prince Charming.

Three hours later, Caroline was still sitting in her knee-length blood red dress. Her hair was up in an elegant ponytail that fell in full curls. Her phone sat idly next to her plate. It hadn't lit up in four hours.

_It's not like him to not at least text me that he's leaving home…_

Caroline's painted lips turned down in a frown. What did it mean that not even Nate was contacting her?

Sighing, the blonde stood and started to scoop up the various take out boxes to put in the kitchen, when her phone finally illuminated. She could have sworn, for that one brief moment, she didn't have a heartbeat. It was exhilarating in the most unexpected way. The girl dropped the containers and fumbled for the iPhone. A bright expression framed her face but fell as soon as she saw the message and just who it was from.

_Hey, Care! Dan just got home. I figured you'd want to know since you were so worried earlier. Thanks for the support. - J._

"Damn it, J!" she hissed under her breath, throwing her phone back down at the chair she'd been sitting on and stomped off to her bedroom. She stayed under her thick blankets for the rest of the night. The maid could clean up the mess. She didn't care anymore.

Three hours and she had gotten no contact from anyone but Jenny. Little did she know, there was one person, who would have killed for any sort of human contact. After all, when you're in a Corvette with two potentially dangerous creatures of the night, you tend to crave some living beings around you.

Blair continued to grumble and shift in her spot. She hated long car rides. Especially if she had barely any leg room.

"Uncomfortable back there, Princess?" Damon quipped, glancing back at Blair through the rearview mirror. She replied with a nasty glare.

"This is another good reason as to why I wanted Bonnie with me. She could have done some sort of spell and made the backseat at least have some legroom."

Damon scoffed. "I don't know what she told you, but she's no Harry Potter. Magic doesn't work like that, Princess." She continued to glare at the raven-haired vampire. How dare he even speak to her. As far as she was concerned, he didn't even deserve to be in the same city as her. She held his gaze for a moment longer before snapping away from him.

They had left the comfort of Manhattan a while ago. For some time they were traveling away from any sort of civilization.

"Where are we going?" she asked, clearly annoyed. "It feels like we've been driving forever. I don't have my passport on me, so Canada really isn't an option."

Blair could sense that she was pushing some buttons, but she could care less. The tension was building to an incredible thickness inside the car.

Thankfully, Stefan chose that exact moment to relieve it. "We're almost there, Blair. I promise." He shifted in his chair and gave a reassuring look to her. It was a tiny smile but his eyes said that it would be all right and that he would protect her.

Strangely enough, she'd never felt more safe than she had inside that car.

Instantly, the silence fell onto the car again.

The unlikely trio drove for another twenty miles (which felt like twenty years in Blair!time) before Damon pulled them over onto the side of the road. The area was dry with a dirt road leading off the normal pavement into a dense forest. Both Salvatore brothers stepped out of the car. Blair was in such a strange shock that she didn't catch herself leaping from the backseat.

"Where the hell do you two think you're going?" Damon and Stefan turned back to the girl with varying reactions. Damon was clearly annoyed and Stefan? Well, Stefan just looked tired.

"What does it look like we're doing? We're going into the big bad forest, Princess."

"Why? Do I really look like I'm prepared for a hike in the woods?"

Blair's focus never left Damon's figure. She noticed his nostrils flare and his large sky blue hues bulge out of their sockets a bit before he sped up towards Blair. His body was almost flush with hers. She was sure that he could feel her breath on his chest if he chose to pay attention to that. His stare bore into her.

"Listen Waldorf, I'm not doing this for my health. If I had my way, you'd be draped over my arms with a nice circle of puncture wounds on your neck and bleeding out with your lovely little eyes rolling back into your head. So be thankful that's not the case, hike up your heel straps and start prancing your way behind us and be kind enough to do it without bitching the entire way. Got it?" Damon watched her face for a long moment, sizing up whether or not she actually took in his words. Blair took them in, however she chose to stay silent and move around him and stand next to Stefan.

"I'm assuming you're going to take the lead?"

Damon sent the pair a smirk and walked around them. "If you both would follow me, that'd be great." She sighed and followed the smirky vampire with Stefan at her side. The muddy earth often tried to swallow up her shoes, but Stefan was always there to pull her out.

Blair hated nature, and for good reason. It was never kind to her, at least not outside of Central Park, and that was even asking for much in terms of her kindness towards inanimate "breathing" things.

Her dark eyes kept catching Damon sneaking looks at her struggle and giving smirky laughs each time his brother had to help her. She soon shooed Stefan off, much to his visible chagrin. Blair didn't want to be babied, which was exactly what Stefan was doing, no matter how much she secretly appreciated it.

They continued walking for what she was sure had to have been another mile before Blair finally spoke up. "Is it much farther?" Her voice came out possibly a bit more whiney than she intended, but oh well.

"Just a little farther, Blair," Stefan replied. So they continued to trek, and Blair allowed her mind to wander. There wasn't much else she could do in such a situation except that.

Every now and again, however, she couldn't help but noticed Damon and Stefan catch one another's gazes, seemingly have entire conversations in a span of two seconds. What was worse? She had this prickling feeling that their miniature conversations concerned her. Blair hated being on the outside of a circle of information, especially one that concerned her. After all, how else do you explain her presence at this surprise nature hike?

Ten more paces and she crashed into something hard and stiff. Blair looked up and found Damon, of all people, smirking down at her.

"Honestly, Blair. In front of my brother? This really isn't a time to get cozy." She gasped in response, her lips pursing as a result. She wanted to smack his arm, hard, but she was pretty sure that no matter how hard she hit him, it wouldn't do any good. He was a vampire after all. So instead, the young girl just drifted to the spot between the two vampires and looked out onto the rumble they were standing in front of.

"You brought me to a burnt down house? You know, I'm pretty sure there's one or two of these back in Manhattan. Probably in the less desirable parts that I, personally, don't like to consider existing, but they still exist."

"This spot is special," Stefan said gently.

"What's so special about a bunch of burnt wood and rocks?"

"It was our home." Damon had spoken this time, and his tone had no malice or smarminess. It was simple, regretful, almost monotone. Blair's sculpted eyebrows narrowed into a thin line.

"Your home?" she repeated, turning back to the remains in front of her. It was as if Damon's four words connected everything for her. Suddenly, she could see the old home with marble pillars decorating the front, with a lush lawn and well kept flowerbeds. In her mind, it was a beautiful image.

"But I don't understand. What does this have to do with vampires? What does this have to do with you two and that Katherine bitch?" She wasn't facing either brother when she spoke. It was an open invitation to answer. Although, to her, Damon always did seem like the brother who was willing to share more. With Damon, there always seemed to be a door that she, and she alone, held the key for. It was a special key; one that she could use whenever she pleased and could never be denied. There was a warm bubbling feeling in her stomach telling her that even the mere idea of such a key was very acceptable.

"This was where we became who we are today. This was where we grew up, became vampires, met Katherine." Stefan paused. "And Natalie."

With each word spoken, the burnt down ruins before her became more and more beautiful before her. A new balcony here, a fresh coat of paint there. If she didn't know any better, she'd say that Bonnie snuck along on the ride anyway.

It's amazing what an open mind can produce.

Blair became adventurous then, wondering if her mind would continue to produce era appropriate furniture and decorations if she continued on. She walked towards where her mind built the front door. "When was this?"

"1864." Blair nearly fell over at Damon's answer.

She whirled around. "But that would make you both over a hundred and fifty years old," she exclaimed. Damon started to saunter towards her, a smirk playing on his thin lips. She briefly wondered what she'd have to do to rid him of that damn smirk.

"Your darling ex-boyfriend over there, is actually a hundred and sixty-one. Talk about an older man, right?" Blair caught Stefan rubbing his temple in frustration before nodding to her in agreement.

"Then how old are you? Since we're being so forthcoming," she countered towards Damon, who had moved on towards another room. Maybe it had been a sitting room, or perhaps his bedroom. He picked up a rock and started to brush it off, silently growling when he realized it wasn't what he was looking for.

"A hundred and seventy-two." Damon clapped his hands clean before looking up at Blair. He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he glanced at his brother, as if he were to continue the story. So he did.

"Damon was off fighting for the Union. I was home with our father, being a good son of one of the Founder's of Ridge Hollow. Then, one day, a carriage pulled up in front of our home and a woman stepped out. She wasn't just gorgeous, Blair. She was sublime. Her dark eyes glimmered above two perfect pink lips." Stefan's eyes had turned cloudy, almost dream-like. Yeah, that definitely made Blair feel fantastic.

"Let me guess. Her name was Katherine?" Blair rolled her eyes. She took a couple more steps.

"No. Her name was Natalie Davies. She was a runaway from the South, seeking to find refuge in the North, where it was supposed to be safe."

Now that was surprising.

Her eyes narrowed and blinked rapidly, trying to take in this information.

"Natalie was charming. She made you feel like you were the only person within a hundred miles," Stefan described.

"Sounds like Scarlett O'Hara," she muttered.

"Where do you think Margret got the inspiration?" Damon asked. Blair turned to face him.

"What are you talking about?"

"Margret Mitchell? The author of Gone with the Wind? Seriously, Blair. I thought that would have been required reading for you."

Blair couldn't believe it. In fact, she wouldn't believe it. Supernatural insanity? Okay, fine. But Margret Mitchell meeting and getting to know this Natalie on enough of a personal level to be able to write a character based on her? No way.

"There is no way that one of the greatest writers of of the twentieth century met and got to know your psycho vampire ex-girlfriend. It's just… Not possible."

"Well, I mean, she couldn't get to know you. You weren't born yet." Damon quipped, his eyes bulging out. He walked over to Blair, bright hues taking in her entire being. Something ticked in the back of his mind. She could see it. Damon would never admit it, but Blair knew it was there. She gave him a little huff.

"So what happened next?"

"I came home. Dad wasn't happy about it, but he never really did like me. Apparently, I looked just like Mom to him." Damon shrugged. "Let's just say I was not the prodigal son, unlike some of us." He nodded towards Stefan, who, when Blair looked, was hanging his head just slightly.

Licking her lips briefly, Blair moved away from the pair, walking even further into the decrypted house. Her mind was working to fully comprehend just what she was being told of Stefan and Damon's past. It wasn't a lot, but based on what they had told her once upon a time, she figured that she had some sort of hold on what might have actually been the truth.

"So, let me get this straight," she started, turning to face the brothers. "You were the Golden Boy," she said, pointing at Stefan and then pointed at Damon, "and you were the Blacksheep. And Natalie wanted both of you for eternity after spending some time with you, which is insanely creepy, I might add. That doesn't explain where Katherine comes in."

Stefan stepped forward then. She noticed his muscular hands were stuffed into the pockets of his St. Jude's slacks. There was a part of her that missed having those hands holding onto her, but she quickly shook that off.

"Katherine was Natalie's handmaiden. We believed that Katherine was just a slave from Hispaniola or at least that general area. To us, that made Natalie richer than we initially thought. Not that such a thing mattered to us, really. We were rich enough. The Salvatore family has always had money, it still does." He shrugged.

"So who is Katherine really? To Natalie I mean."

"From what we gathered, she's a girl that had become infatuated with Natalie a long time ago, before we even came to be. She probably begged Natalie to take her away from whatever horrible life she was living, and she has some sort of Sire bond with our fabulous ex." Damon explained this as if he had done so many times before. Blair chose to ignore this throbbing sense of wrong in the back of her mind and left it for another day.

"So basically, she's Natalie's bitch for all time?"

"You could say that." Stefan walked to a far corner of the rubble and bent down, picking through it.

"His old room," said a sudden voice from behind her. Blair jumped, only a bit, turning her head just slightly to find Damon's strong jaw. "Don't ask me what he's looking for. I couldn't tell you if I tried." Blair turned her head away from Damon once more, taking a deep, calming breath.

"So, what exactly does this have to do with me?" she asked breathlessly.

"Before Natalie could turn my brother or I, she and Katherine were captured by the Founder's Council and then put in a church with other vampires. My brother and I fought one another, blamed one another, for our lover's capture. We were killed that night for believing to be sympathizers. Turns out Natalie made sure that we had her blood in our systems before we died."

Now things really didn't make sense. If both Natalie and Katherine were in church when it burned, wouldn't they be dead? And what is this Founder's Council he was talking about?

"What's the Founder's Council?" she asked.

"Exactly what it sounds like. A council filled with a member of all the Founding Families of Ridge Hollow. If you weren't a member, you weren't aware that it was just a secret organization for those who feared of vampires to meet and think of ways to kill them."

"You're talking about it like it still exists."

How could a secret society of vampire hunters still exist in this time? Then again, she thought that vampires didn't exist either.

"It does." Her body turned completely to face him. Her face was screwed up in disbelief with a twinge of panic. What the panic was for exactly, she was unsure. The only supernatural creatures she knew of were the Salvatore brothers, that Katherine, and Bonnie. If Blair knew anything about the human enigma, she knew that fear only grew and reassigned, it never withered. Could it be possible that in whatever way this "council" now exists, they could have extended their hatred for other species? She hoped for Bonnie's sake, and Bonnie's sake alone (so she told herself), that that wasn't the case.

Damon didn't turn to look directly at Blair. He simply watched his brother brush through hundreds of dried up and dusty memories.

"I'm assuming you know the Rising Horizons Foundation?" She nodded. "One in the same."

The Rising Horizons Foundation hunted vampires? And it was originally a council of a town's founders? That couldn't be possible. Waldorf's never found anything. If they did, Blair would have known about it and bragged about it for a very long time and very often. Damon still had yet to look at Blair.

"I knew some. Waldorf's I mean. Your ancestors weren't as high and mighty as you are. They had money, yes, but they didn't flaunt it, and they didn't make others feel inferior for not having it." Blair's lips pursed in disbelief. Now he was just messing with her head, trying to make her feel like an absolute awful person.

"I want to go home. Now."

With no other words, Blair left the brothers to their own devices and started to walk back the way they'd come.

The ride back to Manhattan was silent. Everyone was left to their own thoughts and Damon's, specifically, were seeped in the possibilities offered by Katherine's reappearance. As he and his brother had frequently discussed — where Katherine is, Natalie isn't far behind. If that were true, how did both Katherine and Natalie survive the fire? It was a question he was sure Blair would have asked, but he supposed, since he said what she believed to be atrocities towards her family, she mustn't have been in the knowledge seeking kind of mood.

With practiced ease, Damon pulled up in front of Blair's building. Almost as soon as he cut the engine, the young girl flew from the car. As if on cue, Stefan pulled himself out and ran after her. Thankfully, he forgot the close the door, and Damon focused on the conversation.

"Blair, please," Stefan begged, grabbing a hold of Blair's forearm.

"No, Stefan. This whole adventure was a waste of all of our time. I could have been studying or doing something else constructive, and you could have been… I don't know! Eating on living beings!"

_Say it a little louder, Waldorf. Go ahead._

"I'm not like that," Stefan argued.

"Then how are you still alive?"

_Valid question. I'll give her that._

"I feed off of animals. I don't drink human blood." Blair turned and seemed paralyzed by his words. To her credit, she snapped back sooner than Damon expected.

"I'll warn the local zoos to keep an eye on their residents. Now if you'll excuse me." She attempted to leave again, but Stefan wasn't having it.

"Please. I know this was a lot to take in but—"

"A lot to take in? Stefan, you can't just tell a girl your life's story, give her no answers whatsoever, and just expect everything to be okay!"

Stefan sighed, and for one of the few times in their long lives, Damon felt sorry for what his brother was going through. Blair was obviously not an easy person to get on with. "Just let me prove to you that I'm not that bad. Let me prove that I can protect you."

Things were silent then. He dared a glance in their direction and they were just standing an arms-length apart. No words were spoken, but their body language and gazes said it all — Stefan was trying to convince her to stay with him, and it seemed Blair didn't need much convincing.

Suddenly, there was a pang in his chest. He wasn't sure what it was. He hadn't felt anything in that part of his body in a very long time. He looked away.

"I do miss you, Stefan. I just… I can't do this right now." Damon couldn't resist watching anymore. His bright hues glanced back to the scene in time to catch his brother nodding at the young woman who looked exactly like the woman he still loved so dearly. Stefan turned, his hand dropping from Blair's arm and oddly enough, a part of Damon felt like he could breathe again.

He noticed Blair grab for Stefan's arm, a faint smile playing on her perfect lips. There was no more denying that Blair was beautiful, nearly perfect in a sense. If he denied such a thing, he was a fool, and Damon Salvatore was no fool. But she wasn't actually Natalie, and that was the real difference. Or so he told himself.

"Are you always this much of a gentleman?" she asked him. Truthfully, it confused both Stefan and Damon. Their faces suggested as much. Blair gently pulled Stefan closer to her and slid her hand around his neck, pressing her lips to his.

Damon turned away then. He had to. That same damn pang in his chest hit him again, only this time, it was harder. It was so hard, the pain radiated past his chest and into other parts of his body.

"I really need to feed," he muttered.

He didn't know how long the kiss lasted. He barely noticed when they said their goodbyes and hardly paid attention to his brother sliding back into the car beside him.

It was a quiet ride back to their home. Not a single thought crossed Damon's mind. All he concentrated on was driving through the New York streets and controlling the pain and unwelcome emotions radiating through his body.

Once he pulled up in front of his home, Damon was the first out of the car. Stefan seemed to still be in a dream-like state from his oh-so-romantic kiss with Blair, and Damon couldn't stand his face. He opened the front door to their three-level penthouse with the intention of heading to the wine cellar (great place to store blood, right?) when the familiar seductive scent hit his nostrils.

The smell made his face immediately contort. Blood pooled beneath his eyes and his fangs elongated in their places.

"Did you leave the door unlocked for psychos again, Stefan?" Damon quipped. The younger Salvatore came to his brother's side in confusion.

"What are you talk— Zach." Damon saw his plan falling away at the seams as soon as the name fell from Stefan's lips.

Stefan was the first to speed off towards their distant nephew, but Damon wasn't far behind. Soon, they found the young man with his throat ripped out, a pool of blood surrounding him and slowly seeping into the hardwood. Damon noticed his brother kneel down beside the dead body with grief and guilt in his eyes. His entire body language suggested a man who wanted to do anything to fix the situation, but had no means to do it with.

What about Damon? Well, he just stood there. He was in disbelief himself that something like this could have happened.

"Who do you think did this?" Stefan asked in a whisper that would have barely been heard by humans, but to Damon, it was clear as a bell.

Truthfully, Stefan knew the answer. Hell, they both did. Whether or not they wanted to admit that Katherine could have gotten her way into their home was something else entirely.

"Go to your room, Stef. I'll take care of this."


	8. hidden truths

_Bang!_

Jenny winced from the sound the large steel door made when it hit the wall inside the loft. She had been living there her entire life and she still wasn't used to the sound. It always sounded angry and intruding to her. It was always reminding her that she lived in Brooklyn and not in the Upper East Side, where she knew she belonged.

The tiny little blonde backed out of the way for her father to wheel in a newly released Dan. It hurt her just a bit to still see the bandages on his neck. She just wanted her big brother fixed and back to normal, but that didn't seem to be something she was going to get for a while, so for now, she would settle for him being home and safe.

"All right, Dan, you want your bag in your room?" Jenny asked, holding up the overnight bag as if to extenuate her point. Dan sighed.

"I really don't need the wheelchair. I can get myself and my stuff into my own room, you know?" Jenny snorted, but her face quickly lost it's amused tone from her father's stern glare.

"We are just being extra cautious Dan. You were attacked by a random and dangerous animal and had so much blood lose, they didn't think you would make it. Can you blame your dad for being worried?" Jenny noticed Dan twitch at their father's words. It was almost as if he didn't entirely believe what was being said to him… Which was actually his own story. He seemed to believe that something was missing, but try as he might, he couldn't figure out what it was.

"And you always wanted a dog," taunted a familiar voice. Jenny glanced up to notice a gorgeous, coffee-skinned girl leaning against the bookshelf that divided the loft with a sarcastic smirk on her lips.

"Thanks for the kind words, Vanessa," Dan replied. Jenny laughed as the two friends embraced. Dan had yet to leave his wheelchair, but not from lack of trying, of course.

Which he attempted then. His lanky hands gripped at the armrests. Jenny could see his knuckles turning white at the attempt and her heart sank. He was trying so hard to be independent and not ask for any sort of hand out (it's the Humphrey way as her father would say) but she couldn't stand just standing there and watching.

"Dan," she started, rushing over to her brother's side, attempting to keep him down in his wheelchair. "You really shouldn't be—"

"I'm not running a marathon, Jenny, I was just going to my room." Everyone was silent as Dan struggled to get out of his chair completely and move towards his room. After another couple of moments, it was Vanessa's turn to take over "Dan Duty". She rushed over and hooked her arm under his.

"All right, Speed Racer. I think it's time a girl tries to get you into bed, instead of the other way around. I'll probably have better luck." Jenny laughed. She knew of the issues Vanessa and Dan had in the past - their mis-timed feelings, their battered friendship. It was a hard road for them, but Jenny had to admit, they impressed her with their ability to move past such issues.

The blonde sighed contently, moving to bring the worn wheelchair into her brother's room, when a strong hand pulled her from continuing on. Looking over her shoulder, she found her father's kind, yet tired, eyes telling her to wait.

"Uh, Jen, maybe that can wait. I think Vanessa and Dan are having a talk. You can bring in his chair when they're done." Jenny opened her mouth to protest, but she did see the logic in her father's words. She turned back, just in time to catch the ebony-skinned girl pull Dan's bedroom door behind her.

"Don't you have homework to do?" her father asked, snapping her away from whatever thoughts were beginning to give birth inside her mind. She nodded and walked off towards her bedroom. Once inside, she turned to look at the thick sliding metal door that separated her room from her brothers.

"Thank god he can barely move." Jenny didn't know what would happen before her brother and his best friend, but she certainly didn't want to chance hearing it!

Once inside her bedroom, the young girl closed her door just enough to get some privacy from the rest of the loft, but not enough that she couldn't hear something big go down. You know, if her family was ever cool enough to actually say something worth overhearing. Which would be never.

The bleach blonde sighed. And after propping her Advanced Trigonometry book open against her pillows, went on the hunt for the right notebook, a pen, and a calculator.

Who said that you couldn't be a Girl of the Steps and be stupid? Certainly not Blair Waldorf, and Jenny would absolutely never say such a thing.

She secured a pen, the girl started to walk back towards her homework when she stopped dead in front of the crack she'd created earlier.

"We really need to talk, Rufus," said Vanessa's voice. She could tell that her voice was swimming in concern and she found it hard to pull herself away. What could her brother's best friend and her father have to talk about in private? "Dan is asleep. He collapsed on his bed and passed out. Is Jenny in her room?"

"Yes, she is Vanessa." Her father seemed exhausted. She could tell, even from that distance, that his worry lines sunk in farther than they normally had. She had never seen him so concerned before. "What is it that you want to talk about?" he asked, pulling his old rocker self onto a stool near the thick industrial island, after she heard the legs scrap across their floor.

"We both know just how lucky Dan was, the other night. A Blood Mouth attacked him and he came away to tell the tale. Do you think they knew what he was?" Vanessa asked.

 _Blood Mouth? What he was? What the hell is Vanessa on?_ Jenny's mind was racing to keep up with the strange conversation.

"He isn't anything yet, Vanessa." Her father's voice was stern and final. "He is a human being, and nothing more. He isn't like you." Jenny flinched at her father's final sentence. She was sure Vanessa did as well.

"Last I checked, Rufus, you were very close to being like me yourself." Vanessa's voice was on a fine edge. She was defensive. What could Vanessa possibly be defensive about?It was difficult for Jenny to wrap her young mind around.

"I made a mistake."

"What do you think I did, Rufus? Do you think I went out one night and said to myself 'Hmm, I'm really kind of bored. I think I'm going to go kill someone and completely ruin my life.' It was a mistake!"

Air lodged in Jenny's throat. She couldn't get any oxygen to her brain and she started to feel dizzy.

_Kill someone? Vanessa… You killed someone? No! You couldn't have!_

"You are not allowed to hold that against me, Rufus. I did the responsible thing afterwards. I left and got control of my condition. I made sure I didn't kill anyone I cared about, so don't… don't you dare make me feel like a horrible person. I did that enough to myself, I don't need it from you too."

Jenny could have sworn that she heard just the slightest crack in her friend's voice. What happened to her that was so horrible that she had to leave Brooklyn? Is whatever was wrong with her the reason she left a few years ago? She leaned in closer to the crack, trying to hear everything she could, determined to find out exactly what was going on.

"I'm assuming you've been going somewhere safe for the last year and a half?" asked her father.

"It's out of the city and it's well boarded up. There are plenty of chains to keep me down. I know I'm younger than you, Rufus, but I have something you will never have: experience."

What in the world was going on?

"Is Dan even showing symptoms? Or Jenny?"

_Me? I'm supposed to be showing symptoms? Of what?!_

Jenny's mind was spinning so fast that it was about to spin off of her shoulders and lodge itself into the wall beside her. Or worse, in the sliding door that separated her and Dan's rooms.

"Jenny is pretty convinced that it's just her PMS," responded her father.

"And Dan?"

"That's the strangest thing… He seems completely fine. He reacts to things properly, he never goes too far. I can't remember a single fight he's ever been in where he wasn't properly provoked. It's almost like… Like…" Her father seemed almost unable to finish his sentence. Jenny edged further around her door and got a better view of the expressions on her father and Vanessa's faces. Both were a combination of confusion and a kind of sterness that she couldn't define.

"Like he doesn't have the gene?" Vanessa offered.

"Well, yeah." Her father seemed almost relieved. What could Dan possibly _not_ have? What did she have if he didn't?

"Rufus," Vanessa started, her voice kind and sympathetic. She stood closer to her father and placed her hand on his shoulder. "We both know that's impossible. Jenny and Dan are both in danger. Especially if New York becomes as unsafe as it's getting to be."

"Anything is possible, Vanessa. They could both be immune to the curse! Jenny's erratic behavior during the full moon could actually be pre-menstrual syndrome, and Dan could really be just a moody kid. It is all possible. I've heard plenty of legends of those who thought they triggered the curse and then never transformed." Rufus was quite clearly desperately reaching for something, anything, to justify what he was trying so hard to believe was true. Unfortunately, the coffee-skinned girl just shook her head.

"Rufus…" She trailed off. In that moment, her father seemed to age an extra twenty years before her eyes. It was quite possibly, the strangest thing that she'd ever seen in her life.

"You know what? Maybe there is something like that. I'll, um, I'll look some things up, okay? But I really need to get back home. Ruby is going to start to worry if I don't check in at a certain time." The corners of her lips perked up slightly in an encouraging smile. The older man nodded and stood, enveloping the young girl in his arms. They embraced and shared whispered words that Jenny couldn't catch before they parted ways and went off in their own directions - one out of the loft and one into his own room. Of course Jenny slid back into her room before her father could catch her spying. Based on the passionate words he'd used with Vanessa, a person that he'd never raised his voice to once (that she knew of), if he caught her spying, she could only imagine what he would do.

Besides, it was time for Jenny to do something for herself and her own curiosity - attack Google.

Her thin fingers flew across her keyboard. She kept typing in different combinations of full moon, curse, anger, mood swings, but nothing made sense. Jenny heaved a deep sigh and fell back onto her bed, her eyes roaming outside of her window. Clouds swirled and changed shape until finally, a thought hit her like a ram truck. It wasn't possible of course, but maybe… Just maybe it was…

It was all absurd of course. That didn't stop her body from raising and her fingers from tapping in one very specific word: lycanthropy.

"Ugh! Grams!" Bonnie cried for what felt like the umpteenth time. It had been several days since Dan Humphrey had come home from the hospital and Blair had gone off with the Salvatore brothers to learn about their version of the truth. It was a difficult feeling - no matter how much she trusted Stefan (or wanted to trust him) she just couldn't. She supposed that was the reason she had been spending so much time with her grandmother. After all, she had to figure out a proper way to protect Blair.

The witch had been working on the same spell for an hour, to no avail. Her body was growing physically weak from the overuse. "This is impossible!" Her grandmother shook her head.

"It's not impossible, baby. You just need a little help." Her grandmother disappeared into the other room while Bonnie attempted to collect herself. She didn't know what sort of help her grandmother was talking about, but she was sure that it wasn't going to be the sort of help that she would truly want.

Soon, her elder grandmother appeared in the room again, this time with an amber crystal gently encased in a gold setting on a golden box link necklace. "This will help," she quietly insisted. She pressed the stone into Bonnie's hand, closing her fingers around it. The moment her fist was completely closed, she felt a strange rush of something into her veins. It was stronger and faster than anything she'd ever felt in her young life.

"What is this, Grams?" she asked in astonishment.

"This is an amulet. It's been in the Bennett family for years. In fact, it belonged to one of the most powerful witches of our family." Grams turned toward the bookcase built into the wall, grabbed one of the older looking tomes, flipped the pages before showing it to Bonnie. "Her name was Emily Bennett." Before her was a picture of a young girl, dressed as if she belonged in the Civil War era and there was the slightest twinkle in her eye. It suggested that she had a secret, a diabolical one at that. If this was truly Emily's amulet, than she definitely had something diabolical up her sleeve.

"Spirits talk, Bonnie," her grandmother warned. What that meant, she wasn't sure, nor was she sure that she wanted to know. Dark eyes watched her aged grandmother. "That Blair friend of yours is very important. She needs to be kept safe."

"I don't understand, Grams. What's so important and special about her?" Bonnie didn't want to seem unappreciative for her grandmother's help, but what was so fantastic about Blair Waldorf? So what if she was a spoiled Upper East Side Princess? She knew plenty of them, so what was so great about Blair?

"Unfortunately, the spirits aren't very specific, but she is very much the center of something terrible. It's coming, Bonnie, and you have to be ready for it. That is what this amulet is going to help you with."

Bonnie sighed. The golden chain gathered itself in her hand on top of the topaz gem. If this was the way it was going to be, then she would do all she could to protect her friend. Bonnie's loyalty ran deep. Nothing could shake her from someone who she felt deserved her loyalty and while Blair might have been a bitch… The spirits needed her safe.

And safety, Damon Salvatore soon learned, was the exact topic of that afternoon's Foundation meeting. The vampire sat in the back of the room with his elegant limbs crossed. He was bored to say the least.

"We can no longer take these attacks lightly," Police Chief Forbes said. These animal attacks, as they were being called, Damon knew, weren't actually animal attacks at all. They were vampire attacks and he was pretty sure he knew the exact vampire behind it.

"We shouldn't have been taking them lightly to begin with." This time it was Howard "The Captain" Archibald speaking. His wrinkled-streaked face was scrunched up in frustration. What was he mad for? "Why you didn't contact me when this started, Liz?"

"Because there wasn't definitive proof that the vampire was sticking around at the time." The tension continued to build inside the small room. Normally, this would send a spark of electricity through Damon's body, but for now, he was just bored. He found it hard to even care. "I, as well as several other members of the Foundation, didn't see the point in contacting hunters when there wasn't any real problem."

"I think that was the correct thing to do," said Damon. Every face in the room turned towards him. There wasn't a face there that wasn't confused in some manner. Some didn't understand his presence, and some simply didn't know who the hell he was.

Obviously, they never read Gossip Girl.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Salvatore, but you should not be here," said Liz Forbes in her most diplomatic tone. His dark brow arched, challenging her authority.

"Oh really? I was sure that Zach had left me a note to be in these meetings for however long he was out of town…" Damon trailed off, as if truly thinking on whether or not his now very dead nephew had done such a thing. Of course he hadn't, but the Foundation didn't need to know that. The police chief shifted uncomfortably between her feet. Obviously, she didn't like not knowing what was going on in her own city.

_Too bad._

"He didn't tell me that he was leaving." She rose a bright blonde eyebrow.

"It's really not like him to just leave without notice, Mr. Salvatore." A smaller woman spoke then. She'd been standing next to The Captain, and Damon could only assume that she was Mrs. Captain. "How are you related to Zach anyway?"

"I'm his nephew, Damon Salvatore," Damon answered, his thin lips curling into a convincing smile. "Perhaps, some of you know my younger brother, Stefan?" His ice blue eyes fell onto the only faces he recognized, Cyrus and Eleanor Waldorf-Rose. The individuals did not seem to want to give Damon any mind, even if the vampire did notice a bit of reluctance to follow his wife's lead in Cyrus' gaze.

Damon never could deny the power a woman could have over her husband. It was a powerful bit of earthly magic, but no where near as powerful as others he's seen in action.

A beat passed.

"I'm sorry, was there some sort of procedure I was supposed to go through if I was covering for Zach?"

"Yes!" yelled several members from various rooms while the key players remained silent and simply continued to stare at him, sizing him up. Then Mayor Lockwood stood, all of his confidence poured into his rather straight posture. His strong stare locked with Damon's.

"Welcome aboard, Mister Salvatore," his cool diplomatic voice uttered. The corner of Damon's lips quirked up the smallest bit. He had concluded a minor but powerful victory.

He had infiltrated enemy territory and now he could build up a battle plan to take it down.

_Hey Gossip fans, ready to hear about something a little juicy and a little terrifying?_

_I guess I can start with the something juicy. It's been three solid weeks without Blair being sans Stefan Salvatore and it seems that has all officially changed. That's right kids, B was spotted with her most recent king on a very romantic walk through Central Park, embracing each other and hanging onto each other's hands like they would drift off if they let go._

_Took her long enough to get that sexy piece of man candy back if you ask me._

_Oh, you're wondering about his brother are you? Well, I was wondering the same thing until I got several tips about the eldest Salvatore spending copious amounts of time with the youngest Humphrey. Cradle robber times a million, much?_

_I promised you something terrifying, so here it is - Miss Vicki Donovan was rushed to Mercy Hospital for injuries she sustained from animal attacks. Apparently they are very similar to Lonely Boy's._

_Coincidence? I don't really care._

_The only reason I'm reporting this is for the simple reason of throwing alarm into all of my readers. Be careful at night._

_After all, you all are the reason I'm here. If I lose you, what do I have left?_

_You know you love me,_

_XOXO, Gossip Girl._

Chuck Bass closed the text message before slipping his phone back into his jacket pocket. There had been something inside of him that had told him to be at Mercy Hospital in that moment, and the blast just confirmed it. He had business to attend to, and he had to get to it stat.

When your surname is Bass you get a few things easier than others. The number of a very friendly skank's hospital suite is just one of them. His movements were similarly cat like as he moved inside of her room, moving just as easily towards her bed. Chuck laid a soft hand on Vicki's forehead, noticing that she was feeling a bit cool to the touch. He simply chalked that up to the blood loss.

He took a deep breath.

Without warning, Vicki's dark lashes fluttered open and softened at the sight of Chuck.

"Chuck…" she cooed, twisting under her blankets and leaning into his touch. "I knew you'd come." Chuck mentally groaned. This was not where he wanted things to go. He was supposed to have his hand halfway up the skirt of a hot waitress at Butter. Oh well. Sometimes things just didn't work out the way he'd planned. If there was one thing Chuck Bass was able to do it was go along with whatever curve ball life threw him.

Bending at his knees, the swarmy Bass locked eyes with the hospital gown ridden girl. "What happened, Vicki?" he asked, easily mimicking someone with a heart or soul. He had a lot of practice. She took a tight hold of his wrist, her knuckles easily turning white. Her face became horror stricken and her voice came out as soft as a mouse.

"It was a vampire, Chuck. But no one is going to believe me, I know it. They are going to think I'm insane. But… But you believe me, don't you?" Her eyes begged for his reassurance. He simply nodded, his lips pulling into a tight smile.

"Go to sleep Vicki. You need the rest."

"Will you be here when I wake up?" she asked, her eyes still wide with desperation. It was like she didn't even know him.

"You know I will, Donovan. Now go to sleep." With his promise, as fake as it was, she softened and fell back into an easy sleep. Chuck shook his hand, ridding it of her energy before placing it back where it was. It took moments for Chuck to complete his task and leave the hospital room. The supernatural world - or at least a part of it - was once again safe from exposure. As far as he was concerned, if that sort of thing was going to be shown to the public, he was going to be the one to do it. Not a reckless newbie or a drugged up slut.

He was Chuck Bass after all. No one spoiled his fun.

**END OF PART ONE**


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